"It's been very rewarding," Sonny Seiler said. "It's been a lot of work. They've sort of grown with us and on us, and so even though it's a lot of work, it's not all that much trouble anymore because we know how to do it."

What exactly do the Seilers do?

Each week, they prepare Uga VI, an eight year old pure white English bulldog who took over for Uga V in 1999, for the upcoming game, traveling with the team for road games.

"It starts with him getting a bath the afternoon before, and getting his bag packed which has two or three jerseys in it, and leashes and collars. And getting food ready to go just like you would for a child," Sonny said.

This is one famous child. Sports Illustrated named Uga the most popular mascot in the country. Last year, he received a trophy from Turner South honoring Uga as the best mascot in the South. He received a similar award from Sports South.

"He's collected his share of trophies," Sonny said.

I thought our crew got to see some great places on this trip, but we haven't seen anything compared to this bulldog.

"He's been to just about every major stadium in the South. He's been to a lot of major Bowl Games," Sonny said. "Uga IV went to New York with Herschel Walker for the Heisman Trophy Banquet. This dog went to the Congressional Room last year in Washington to meet a lot of Senators and Congressmen."

Uga VI was sitting quietly inside the house when we first arrived. Cecelia came over to him and put his customary spiked collar around his massive neck, then we walked around outside. Uga behaved very well until the golf cart came around.

"The back up sound (on the golf cart) is what gets him," Cecilia explained.

So Sonny pulled the cart around. Uga took off at full speed and then leaped triumphantly onto the golf cart. Not only is he bigger than the other Ugas, he's wilder than his predecessors too, according to his owners.

"This one is very, very anxious to go any place, any time," Sonny said. "To the point where he'll start barking on Friday mornings if he hears the ice machine open and us throwing the ice in the cooler. That's a clue to him that it's game time. "

Bulldogs tend to overheat, so Uga sits on a block of ice in his dog house at Sanford Stadium.

If you don't know where to find him during games, just listen for the music. Uga VI sits right next to the band, and although Sonny said Uga is not aware of the score of the games, "He knows that there's a game out there, and if you turned him loose, he'd probably run out there and try to get involved."

You might have to be a Bulldogs fan to truly understand how special Uga is to the Georgia community. The Seilers are constantly flooded with presents for Uga such as chew toys and treats. But Uga doesn't mess around with those types of things, so the Seilers always end up sending them to the Humane Society.

There has only been one gift that Uga VI has embraced. It's a green alligator doll given to Uga in Jacksonville, where he'll be this Saturday for UF-Georgia. Uga VI has no problem chewing on that toy, much to the delight of Gator Haters.

So over the last 50 years, Uga has become a symbol of Georgia athletics. Each Uga has been awarded a Varsity letter, just like the players get. The previous five Ugas are all buried in marble vaults near the South stands of Sanford Stadium. The fans love Uga, and so does the football team.

"Coach Richt started a policy when he got there," Sonny said. "Every September, he has (Uga's) picture made individually with each freshman player. And then Coach Richt sends a print of that picture to the player's parents, and one to his high school, which is a nice touch."

In the world of college football, players change every four years. Coaches change as soon as they stop winning. The student section changes constantly as well.

But you know if you go to a Georgia game, there will always be one constant - the big bulldog on the sideline.

"I don't know what I would be like going to a game without an Uga," Sonny Seiler said. "I would feel like I didn't have my pants on or something."