Lab Warrior Spotlight: Ripley

In the Washburn CHAOS Lab, we don’t just fight for data—we fight for each other. And no one holds the line with more loyalty, awareness, and tactical brilliance than this four-legged powerhouse.

Meet Ripley.
Two years old. White shepherd. PTSD-trained service dog.
Named after the greatest sci-fi heroine of all time—Ellen freakin’ Ripley from Aliens. Because when you're building a lab that thrives on grit, chaos, and survival against impossible odds, there's only one name worthy of your first line of defense.

Ripley isn’t just a companion, she is a fully trained and certified service dog and a critical member of the CHAOS team. She’s a tactical asset. She’s with Dr. Washburn on every mission that doesn’t involve rappelling into deep caves, suiting up in a BSL lab, or environments that would compromise her safety. Everywhere else? She’s there—tail up, eyes sharp, reading the room and controlling the terrain. She doesn’t flinch in the face of chaos. Instead, she manages it—with paws, pressure, and precision.

Loadout Includes:

• Paw & Nuzzle Grounding: When anxiety hits like a rogue seismic wave, Ripley brings her handler back with a touch—calm, firm, precise.

• Deep Pressure Deployment: During panic attacks, she applies weight with the efficiency of a weighted blanket crossed with a battle tank.

• “Hug” Command: Tactical embrace for instant grounding. No nonsense. All heart.

• Low Blood Sugar Detection: She can smell the drop before the data catches up. No calibration needed.

• Security Sweep Protocol: Circles to create space in a crowd, searches rooms before entry, and leads the way to safety like a pro. No joke—she runs recon.

• Morale Officer: Students, collaborators, visiting scientists—Ripley offers unspoken calm and the occasional judgmental stare if your pipetting posture sucks.

When her vest is on, she’s not a pet—she’s on a mission.
No distractions. No baby talk. No exceptions. Respect the vest.
She’s not here to entertain. She’s here to keep Dr. Washburn safe and the lab mission-ready.

But when the vest comes off?
She’s a goofball. A snow-colored shadow with a nose for snacks and a tail that knocks over half the gear cart. She knows when the lab needs levity, when a student needs a moment, and when a team’s been pushing too hard without breathing.

She is strength wrapped in softness.
Fierce wrapped in fur.
Science’s most trusted bodyguard—and a daily reminder that even warriors need warmth.

If you catch a CHAOS Lab presentation, tour, or field op—and you see a white shepherd at Dr. Washburn’s side—now you know who she is.

Ripley. Tactical Canine. Emotional Armor. Named for the best damn survivor in cinematic history.

Stay sharp.
Respect the vest.
And remember: sometimes the strongest lab member doesn’t need a degree—just four paws and a mission.

Ripley: Guardian of the Genome, Warden of Calm, Certified Good Girl on a Tactical Mission.