View this post on Instagram
A new star is lighting up the baseball stadium, and he's not a pitcher or home-run hitter. Ripken the Bat Dog is an energetic black lab that is working for the Durham Bulls Minor League baseball team by collecting discarded bats on the infield. While it's fun to watch him do his job from the sidelines, they also installed a Go-Pro on the pup's vest so that people can see what Ripken's path looks like when he's running on the field.
The videos typically begin with Ripken's position behind the dugout, where he waits patiently for the batter to finish his time at the plate. Then, when the player has let go of his bat, Ripken races across the dirt and grass to collect the bat in his mouth and whips around to bring it back to where he started. Clearly, the lab loves what he does, which is essentially a game of fetch in front of an audience.
Baseball players and umpires seem to love his presence on the field; but, once in a while, people will forget that Ripken is the bat dog, and begin to pick up the bats themselves. When this happens, Ripken waits patiently for them to notice him. And when they finally let go of the bat, he happily grabs it and continues his task. While there are no bat dogs in the majors (yet), Ripken is proving that he's the right dog for the job.
Keep up with Ripken's baseball adventures by following him on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Ripken the Bat Dog is a key member of the Durham Bulls Minor League baseball team.
View this post on Instagram
A Go-Pro has been attached to his harness so that you can watch him gleefully collect the discarded bats.
View this post on Instagram
He clearly loves his job and brings smiles to people's faces.
View this post on Instagram
Even if sometimes people mistakenly pick up the bats, they quickly put them down so Ripken can complete his task.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Ripken the Bat Dog: TikTok | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Golf Digest, Pet Helpful]
All images via Ripken the Bat Dog.
Related Articles:
Newlyweds Adopt the Friendly Stray Dog that Crashed Their Wedding
Study Shows More Dogs in a Neighborhood May Contribute to Lower Crime
How This Man and His Dog Spent Seven Years Walking Around the World
