There’s a new four-legged friend making her way around the Community College of Rhode Island!

CeCe, an adorable golden retriever born on February 21, 2026, has officially joined the CCRI community as our brand-new campus comfort dog. Students who attended Tuesday’s Enrollment Day even were able to meet CeCe on her first day at the Knight Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by CeCe (@cecethegoldenknight)

Her main job is simple: to make people happy. And she’ll do plenty of that.

CeCe will be visiting all four CCRI campuses — Warwick, Lincoln, Providence, and Newport — to bring joy and provide a calming presence to students, faculty, and staff.

You can expect to see her during some of the busiest and most challenging times of the year, including upcoming finals week. She’ll also be a regular at enrollment events, athletic games, and general student engagement activities.

CCRI President Rosemary Costigan championed the initiative to bring a comfort dog to the college to help foster a supportive campus environment.

"We are beyond thrilled to welcome CeCe to the CCRI family!” Costigan said. “There’s nothing quite like the joy a dog brings, and we know her comforting presence is going to make our campuses feel even more like home for our students."

CeCe currently lives full-time with her primary caretaker, CCRI Campus Police Officer Leo Tetreault. Lieutenant Dana Packer serves as her secondary caretaker, and both officers will be bringing CeCe to various college events to mingle with the college community.

According to her handlers, CeCe is already thriving.

“She’s very loving, very curious,” Lt. Officer Tetreault said. “She loves people. She’s a very social dog already.”

Lt. Packer added: “The golden retriever accepts everybody, will love anybody – and CeCe is no different. "They just love to make people happy, and they love the attention.”

Bringing CeCe to CCRI was a collaborative process. Dan Flynn, owner of Butterfly Farms in Lincoln, R.I., generously reached out to regional breeders on the college's behalf to find the perfect puppy.

That search led to Amanda Shea, a breeder from Sheaman Farm in Suffield, Conn. Having previously donated a therapy dog to a school, she understood the incredible value of bringing animals into educational spaces and decided to graciously donate CeCe to the college.

After spending her first few weeks in Connecticut, CeCe finally arrived at CCRI this week. She will soon begin regular training with Flynn at Butterfly Farms, alongside Officer Tetreault and Lt. Packer, to ensure she’s ready for all the fun she’ll have on campus.

To make sure you never miss a single moment, we’ve launched official Instagram and TikTok accounts for CeCe. Follow along to get to see her adventures exploring the campuses, meeting students, and all the heartwarming, goofy moments in between. Be sure to follow and join CeCe on her exciting journey to spread joy all across CCRI.

Next time you see CeCe around campus, be sure to stop and give her a warm welcome!