:Ripken (dog)
{{Short description|Retrieval dog in North Carolina (2016–2025)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Distinguish|Rip (dog)}}
{{Infobox animal
| image = Ripken Durham Bulls Game.jpg
| caption = Ripken at a Durham Bulls game
| breed = Labrador Retriever
| gender = Male
| birth_date = {{birth date|2016|8|1}}
| birth_place = Boise, Idaho, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|1|1|2016|8|1}}
| death_place = North Carolina, U.S.
| occupation = Retrieval dog
| employer = Sit Means Sit
(Apex, Charlotte franchises)
| years_active = 2019–2025
| successor = "Champ"
| owner = Michael O'Donnell
| parents = "Cowboy Kohl" {{small|(father)}}
| weight = {{cvt|70|lb}}
| namedafter = Cal Ripken Jr.
| website = {{URL|ripkenthebatdog.com}}
}}
Ripken (August 1, 2016 – January 1, 2025), also known as Ripken the Bat Dog or Ripken the Tee Dog, was a black Labrador Retriever in North Carolina, who worked as a retrieval dog for the amateur baseball team Holly Springs Salamanders, the Minor League Baseball team Durham Bulls, and the North Carolina State Wolfpack college football team. In baseball, Ripken retrieved bats thrown after hits, and in football, retrieved the kicking tee after a kickoff.
Born in Boise, Idaho, to father "Cowboy Kohl", Ripken was named after Cal Ripken Jr., the Baseball Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Orioles. Former college baseball player and coach Michael O'Donnell and his wife, Melissa, acquired the dog at eight weeks old. They began training him to retrieve baseball bats soon after. In 2019, Ripken debuted with the Holly Springs Salamanders, where he retrieved bats and returned them free of saliva or bite marks. These traits helped Ripken to be noticed by the Durham Bulls, who recruited him in 2020. In 2021, Ripken began working for the Wolfpack by collecting kickoff tees. While working, Ripken wore a GoPro camera on his back that recorded his retrievals from a first-person perspective. These videos were posted to social media, where some became popular nationally, culminating in a guest appearance featuring the dog on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022. In 2023, Ripken dropped the ceremonial first puck at a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. As Ripken approached ten years of age, another black Labrador, Champ, trained alongside Ripken to eventually serve as his replacement. Ripken died in 2025 from an undiagnosed medical condition, and Champ took over in March 2025.
Early life
Ripken was born in Boise, Idaho, on August 1, 2016.{{cite web |title=Ripken the Bat Dog |date=July 18, 2022 |url=https://sitmeanssit.com/dog-training-mu/apex-dog-training/ripken-the-bat-dog/ |publisher=Sit Means Sit |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202214059/https://sitmeanssit.com/dog-training-mu/apex-dog-training/ripken-the-bat-dog/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Ripken the Bat Dog |url=https://www.milb.com/durham/fans/ripken |publisher=Durham Bulls |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=July 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718123707/https://www.milb.com/durham/fans/ripken |url-status=live}} He was named after Cal Ripken Jr., the Baseball Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Orioles. His father, "Cowboy Kohl", served as the kicking tee retriever for the Boise State Broncos football team. Ripken was recorded as weighing {{cvt|70|lb}} on his minor league baseball profile.
Ripken was acquired at eight weeks old by Michael O'Donnell, the founder and owner of the Sit Means Sit dog training franchise in Apex, North Carolina, from a friend and dog breeder in Boise, Idaho.{{cite web |last=Burkhart |first=Matthew |title=NC State tee-fetching canine becomes viral sensation |url=https://www.technicianonline.com/culture/nc-state-tee-fetching-canine-becomes-viral-sensation/article_9ea7992e-4446-11ed-8ab9-43b11fece6f3.html |work=Technician |date=October 4, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203164348/https://www.technicianonline.com/culture/nc-state-tee-fetching-canine-becomes-viral-sensation/article_9ea7992e-4446-11ed-8ab9-43b11fece6f3.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Lucille |title=Ripken the Bat Dog's big weekend |url=https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/09/13/ripken-bat-dog-durham-bulls-nc-state |work=Axios |date=September 13, 2024 |access-date=November 24, 2024}} O'Donnell, a former salesperson and college baseball player at Radford University, acquired the Apex franchise of Sit Means Sit in January 2016.{{cite web |last=Pitkin |first=Ryan |title=Ripken the Bat Dog prepares for another season with Durham Bulls |url=https://cardinalpine.com/2024/02/29/ripken-the-bat-dog-prepares-for-another-season-with-durham-bulls/ |work=Cardinal & Pine |date=February 29, 2024 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201140346/https://cardinalpine.com/2024/02/29/ripken-the-bat-dog-prepares-for-another-season-with-durham-bulls/ |url-status=live}} He sought to train a dog to retrieve baseball bats, which would combine his two interests.{{cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Rick |title=Ripken the bat dog, football tee retriever finds fame |url=https://www.wral.com/story/ripken-the-bat-dog-football-tee-retriever-finds-fame/20596356/ |work=WRAL |date=November 24, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202190228/https://www.wral.com/story/ripken-the-bat-dog-football-tee-retriever-finds-fame/20596356/ |url-status=live}} At ten weeks old, Ripken was taught to retrieve small novelty bats and glass bottles, gradually progressing to full-sized and metal bats as he grew older.{{cite web |last=Krest |first=Shawn |title=Bat dog an inside-the-bark homer |url=https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/06/ripken-and-his-brother-are-making-fetch-happen-at-fields-around-the-triangle/ |work=North State Journal |date=June 15, 2024 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204001107/https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/06/ripken-and-his-brother-are-making-fetch-happen-at-fields-around-the-triangle/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=George |first=Catherine |title=Ripken the bat dog and wide retriever |url=https://raltoday.6amcity.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-and-wide-retriever-raleigh-nc |work=RALtoday |date=November 17, 2022 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204142318/https://raltoday.6amcity.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-and-wide-retriever-raleigh-nc |url-status=live}}{{cite AV media |people=Michael O'Donnell |title=WRAL Out & About – Ripken the Bat Dog at the Durham Bulls April 2022 |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7O2yj2DPhU |work=WRAL |publisher=Ripken The Bat Dog |date=May 17, 2023 |access-date=November 29, 2024}} Ripken eventually began appearing in O'Donnell's Sit Means Sit commercials as the Apex and Charlotte franchise's "spokesdog".
Career
For the 2019 season, Ripken debuted for the amateur baseball team Holly Springs Salamanders, where he retrieved bats at home games without leaving slobber or bite marks{{cite web |last=Van Cleave |first=Kris |title=Dog collects discarded baseball bats for minor league team |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/dog-collects-discarded-baseball-bats-for-minor-league-team/ |work=CBS News |date=August 22, 2022 |access-date=November 29, 2024}} or losing focus and roaming around.{{cite news |last=Page |first=Sydney |title=Bat dog has disastrous minor league baseball debut (but is still a good girl) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/08/30/lucy-may-bat-dog-baseball/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 30, 2024 |access-date=November 29, 2024}} O'Donnell sought to have Ripken work for the Durham Bulls, a Minor League Baseball team that was closer to professional status; he also had a personal attachment to the team as he proposed to his wife on the pitcher's mound at one of their games. During the 2019–2020 off-season, Ripken was noticed by the Durham Bulls and asked to join, being announced as part of their team on February 27, 2020,{{cite web |last=Cain |first=Brooke |title=Who's a good boy? The newest member of the Durham Bulls baseball team, that's who. |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article240738756.html |work=The News & Observer |date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425122913/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article240738756.html |url-status=live}} but was prevented from working due to the COVID-19 pandemic largely halting live sports.{{cite web |last=Powell |first=Candace |title=Bat Dog Shows Off Good Boy Skills In The Middle Of A Baseball Game |url=https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/dog-fetches-bats-during-pro-games |work=The Dodo |date=June 1, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}
File:Ripken the Tee Dog T-shirt.jpg
For the 2021 season, Ripken debuted for the Durham Bulls to retrieve thrown bats after hits in the first three to four innings, before meeting fans and giving paw autographs. Ripken soon became popular with players, particularly with children in lengthening their attention spans of the game. When running out to the field, Ripken's GoPro camera attached to his back would capture his retrievals from a first-person view, and it would later be posted on social media platforms.{{cite magazine |last=Bentley |first=Coleman |title=The Durham Bulls strapping a GoPro to their bat dog is exactly the innovation baseball needs |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/durham-bulls-minor-league-baseball-bat-dog-gopro-camera |magazine=Golf Digest |date=September 17, 2021 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202213436/https://www.golfdigest.com/story/durham-bulls-minor-league-baseball-bat-dog-gopro-camera |url-status=live}} Ripken also wore a golden gem-studded necklace of his initial "R" wearing a crown while on the field.{{cite web |title=Ripken, beloved dog to NC State and Durham Bulls fans, dies on New Year's Day |url=https://www.wral.com/news/local/ripken-bat-dog-death/ |work=WRAL |date=January 3, 2025 |access-date=January 3, 2025 |archive-date=January 4, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104035138/https://www.wral.com/news/local/ripken-bat-dog-death/ |url-status=live}}
The larger venue brought more attention to both Ripken and O'Donnell's dog training business, leading to Ripken working for the NC State Wolfpack college football program starting their 2021 season, who approved after O'Donnell submitted a video from a Durham Bulls game. His job for the Wolfpack during the first season was to retrieve the kicking tee at the first kickoff of the first or second half of the game. Ripken was given more duties for the 2022 season, where he was responsible for retrieving kicking tees for the first half. He went viral on the social media platform TikTok in 2022; a video of him retrieving a tee at a game between NC State and Texas Tech reached nearly five million views. On November 10, 2022, Ripken was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show.{{cite web |title=Durham Bulls, NC State viral sensation Ripken to be featured on Kelly Clarkson Show |url=https://www.wral.com/story/durham-bulls-nc-state-viral-sensation-ripken-to-be-featured-on-kelly-clarkson-show/20567873/ |work=WRAL |date=November 10, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201130700/https://www.wral.com/story/durham-bulls-nc-state-viral-sensation-ripken-to-be-featured-on-kelly-clarkson-show/20567873/ |url-status=live}}
The increased attention from social media led to Ripken being invited by the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League for an on-ice appearance. On February 18, 2023, Ripken dropped the ceremonial first puck at the Hurricanes game against the Washington Capitals.{{cite web |last=Detwiler |first=Christopher |title=Ripken The Bat Dog shows off hockey skills ahead of Stadium Series |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/ripken-the-bat-dog-shows-off-hockey-skills-ahead-of-stadium-series-341224226 |work=National Hockey League |date=February 18, 2023 |access-date=November 29, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Rafferty |first=Chloe |title=Local celebrity 'Ripken the Bat Dog' to lead NHL Stadium Series' ceremonial puck drop at Carter-Finley Stadium |url=https://www.cbs17.com/sports/carolina-hurricanes/local-celebrity-ripken-the-bat-dog-to-lead-nhl-stadium-series-ceremonial-puck-drop-at-carter-finley-stadium/ |work=WNCN |date=February 18, 2023 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201101858/https://www.cbs17.com/sports/carolina-hurricanes/local-celebrity-ripken-the-bat-dog-to-lead-nhl-stadium-series-ceremonial-puck-drop-at-carter-finley-stadium/ |url-status=live}} O'Donnell, who had trained Ripken on the puck drop in the weeks leading up, remarked that the event was the "pinnacle of his career so far".{{cite web |last=Rupinta |first=Amber |title=Ripken The Bat Dog will drop ceremonial puck for Canes Stadium Series Game |url=https://abc11.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-stadium-series-to-drop-puck-carolina-hurricanes/12832673/ |work=WTVD |date=February 18, 2023 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |archive-date=December 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206162936/https://abc11.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-stadium-series-to-drop-puck-carolina-hurricanes/12832673/ |url-status=live}} On February 25, Ripken made an appearance at the Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the aim of fetching tees for the state's National Football League team, the Carolina Panthers.{{cite web |last=Tompkins |first=Meilin |title=Ripken the Bat Dog is in Charlotte. Here's how you can meet him |url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/heartwarming/ripken-the-bat-dog-charlotte-nc-durham-bulls-baseball/275-a3b38a0b-534e-48a9-8e2b-5376ccae900c |work=WCNC-TV |date=February 24, 2023 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323072237/https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/heartwarming/ripken-the-bat-dog-charlotte-nc-durham-bulls-baseball/275-a3b38a0b-534e-48a9-8e2b-5376ccae900c |url-status=live}} On December 28, Ripken worked at the first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl between NC State and Kansas State in Orlando, Florida.{{cite web |title=What to know about the Pop-Tarts Bowl, this year's tastiest college football game |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/what-to-know-about-the-pop-tarts-bowl-this-year-tastiest-college-football-game |work=Fox Sports |date=December 27, 2023 |access-date=November 27, 2024}} During the 2024 Durham Bulls season, Ripken worked in 14 games, or about one in every five home games. For the 2024 Wolfpack season in September, Ripken worked at the Duke's Mayo Classic between NC State and Tennessee.
Death and legacy
Ripken died on January 1, 2025, at the age of 8, following complications from an undiagnosed medical condition.{{cite web |last1=Shaffer |first1=Josh |last2=Watson-Fisher |first2=Jadyn |name-list-style=and |date=January 3, 2025 |title=Ripken the Bat Dog, who won fans on fields in Durham, NC State and all over, has died |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article297940103.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103190556/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article297940103.html |archive-date=January 3, 2025 |access-date=January 8, 2025 |work=The News & Observer}} His death was announced by O'Donnell two days later on social media.{{cite web |last=Baxley |first=Rodd |title=Ripken the bat dog, a North Carolina sports 'legend,' dies on New Year's Day |url=https://www.fayobserver.com/story/sports/college/acc/2025/01/03/ripken-the-bat-dog-dies-nc-state-wolfpack-durham-bulls/77435782007/ |work=The Fayetteville Observer |date=January 3, 2025 |access-date=January 13, 2025}} Ripken last worked on December 22, 2024, retrieving the kicking tees for the Carolina Panthers against the Arizona Cardinals at their last home game. Official condolences were released by the Durham Bulls, Wolfpack athletics, and Carolina Hurricanes, alongside many on social media. At the time of his death, Ripken's account had about 431,500 followers on social media; around 274,000 came from TikTok with another 149,000 from Instagram.
In his lifetime, Ripken featured as the grand marshal at the annual Christmas parade in Fuquay-Varina, on Topps baseball cards, stuffed plushies by the Durham Bulls, and T-shirts sold by both the Durham Bulls and Wolfpack. The monthly golf magazine Golf Digest remarked in 2021 that bat retrieval dogs playing in Minor League Baseball, like Ripken, were what was needed in Major League Baseball to make the sport more enjoyable. Days after his death, a statue of Ripken was requested to be built on NC State's campus as a memorial.{{cite web |last=Burkhart |first=Matthew |title=A tribute to Ripken |url=https://www.technicianonline.com/opinion/a-tribute-to-ripken/article_f9f47e08-cd6c-11ef-8cc4-47f439c25d47.html |work=Technician |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 13, 2025 |archive-date=January 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250113074740/https://www.technicianonline.com/opinion/a-tribute-to-ripken/article_f9f47e08-cd6c-11ef-8cc4-47f439c25d47.html |url-status=live}} By at least April 2025, Ripken served as the logo for "All-Star Dog Training", a new dog training company run by Michael and Melissa O'Donnell.{{cite web |title=Meet Our Dog Trainers |url=https://dogtrainingapex.com/our-certified-dog-trainers/ |publisher=All-Star Dog Training |access-date=11 April 2025}}
Associate dogs
At the end of the 2022 season, Ripken had a "younger cousin" or "nephew" associate dog named Rivers, named after the NC State football player Philip Rivers. Rivers, a younger Labrador Retriever, trained alongside Ripken in retrieving baseball bats and football tees with the intention to replace Ripken as he aged. Rivers appeared on the sideline at his first Wolfpack football game in November 2022. During the game, however, Rivers showed a slight temperament and did not like people in hats, which was often the majority of people in a baseball stadium. Due to these issues, a decision was made in early 2023{{cite web |title=Meet Champ – the newest bat dog in training |url=https://abc11.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-champ-black-lab-training/13829175/ |work=WTVD |date=September 25, 2023 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203011330/https://abc11.com/ripken-the-bat-dog-champ-black-lab-training/13829175/ |url-status=live}} by O'Donnell to acquire Champ, another descendant of Cowboy Kohl from Boise, Idaho. Champ began working in rotation with Ripken at Holly Springs Salamanders games and at one NC State rugby game in the following 2024 season,{{cite web |last=Rupinta |first=Amber |title=Champ, The Bat Dog, follows in his famous big brothers paw-steps on the field |url=https://abc11.com/post/champthe-bat-dog-follows-famous-big-brothers-paw/14922608/ |work=WTVD |date=June 7, 2024 |access-date=November 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207042013/https://abc11.com/post/champthe-bat-dog-follows-famous-big-brothers-paw/14922608/ |url-status=live}} intending to work for the Bulls and later Wolfpack games. Champ did not have any noted behavioral issues, but he had anxiety in larger stadiums, a condition Ripken did not have according to O'Donnell. This anxiety was reportedly treated each game. At one-and-a-half years old, Champ began to replace Ripken in his former jobs after his unexpected death in January 2025. On March 28, 2025, Champ was set to take over as the new "Official bat dog" of the Durham Bulls.{{cite web |last=Sockol |first=Matthew |title=Ripken's younger brother Champ announced as Durham Bulls bat dog |url=https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/ripkens-younger-brother-champ-announced-as-durham-bulls-bat-dog/ |work=WNCN |date=March 7, 2025 |access-date=March 8, 2025}} Champ was planned to work in professional league games in baseball, football, or golf.
See also
{{Portal|United States|Dogs}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-hon}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl |title=Holly Springs Salamanders "Bat Dog" |years=2019–2025}}
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{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl |title=Durham Bulls "Bat Dog" |years=2020–2025}}
{{s-aft |after=Champ}}
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl |title=NC State Wolfpack "Tee Dog" |years=2021–2025}}
{{s-vac}}
{{s-end}}
{{North Carolina State University}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ripken}}