Photo: Home Run Remington/Facebook
By Kim Constantinesco
College athletes don’t typically get to high-five a paw while in the locker room, but that’s not true for the University of North Carolina baseball team.
Terri Jo Rucinski, the head athletic trainer for UNC baseball, introduced a two-year-old Golden Retriever named REMINGTON to the team in August. REMINGTON’s official title is “psychiatric medical alert facility rehabilitation service dog.”
In other words, he provides physical and emotional support to players who are recovering from injury, or who are having a difficult time, mentally.
According to UNC, REMINGTON got an early start on training for his “career.”
“[He] began his training when he was just 3-days-old. By 16 weeks, he had graduated to a program for obedience and disabilities skills training. He also learned basic command sets. Now, REMINGTON knows more than 100 commands, including ‘reading’ written commands from cue cards. Last summer, he underwent 80 hours of training and passed a series of certification tests before he joined the team in August.”
Although a rookie, REMINGTON has made a big impact.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had a dog or any sort of assistance dog helping out with any team I’ve been a part of,” junior and outfielder Brian Miller told UNC. “It’s like a bond that I have with any of my teammates really.”
Have a look at the benefits this pup is providing:
Win or lose, this is a face worth smiling about.
