Wilson Critters Weekly
Marshall Alvarado | September 23, 2025
Alex Speyer and Merlin pose for a photo on the Warren Wilson College (WWC) campus in Swannanoa, N.C.. (Marshall Alvarado/Echo)
Alex Speyer, a senior, can always be seen walking around with their lovely blonde colored labradoodle named Merlin. Speyer describes Merlin as a chill, huge couch potato, a frat boy who loves socializing at parties he gets taken to. Merlin has a magical trick of opening all types of doors by himself and a nose that can find any scrap of food thrown in the bushes around Gladfelter. He is a certified service pet who, whenever he is asleep, does not mind when Speyer places a small hat or rock on his head to balance.