Texas A&M has released its recommendations for its next mascot, Reveille VIII. The university will continue with its dog tradition, but the breed is still up in the air.

A&M sent out a memo to students, faculty and staff Thursday describing its study committee process. They have identified the next mascot's essential characteristics:

- Medium to large size dog
- Healthy
- Outgoing personality
- Likes people and at ease in crowds
- Not afraid of noise
- Not highly reactive
- Positively motivated

To read the university's memo in its entirety, click on the link below this story.

There are two recommendations from the committee, both involving mature female dogs with service training. The difference is one recommendation is for a collie-like dog. The other is for a dog with a noble appearance and good physical attributes, not unlike a golden retriever.

"There are, obviously, very structured training organizations that produce those sorts of dogs, and we'll be working through those organizations literally on a national level," said Dean Bresciani, A&M's vice president for student affairs. "There's a network of people who do that sort of thing, so it will be, we hope, a very efficient process."

Reveille VII will be retiring after Final Review. A family for the collie will likely be decided next week.

Bresciani says a puppy will not be chosen as the new mascot due to the training she would have to undergo in order to serve in that role. A service dog at least 18 months old would have less of a learning curve, although the next mascot won't be thrust into her duties full on immediately.

"This mascot is used like no other mascot in the nation, and by no small margin," Bresciani said. "To introduce a dog to that level of activity, in a sense, 100 percent full time level isn't treating the dog as well as it should be treated."

The university hopes to introduce the mascot to the students come this fall.