&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Ripken_Durham_Bulls_Game.jpg) Ripken at a Durham Bulls game | |
| Breed | Labrador Retriever |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | August 1, 2016 Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 2025 (aged 8) North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Retrieval dog |
| Employer | Sit Means Sit |
| Years active | 2019–2025 |
| Successor | "Champ" |
| Owner | Michael O'Donnell |
| Parent(s) | "Cowboy Kohl" (father) |
| Weight | 70 lb (32 kg) |
| Named after | Cal Ripken Jr. |
| ripkenthebatdog | |
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.
Ripken was named after Cal Ripken Jr., the Baseball Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Orioles. After learning at Sit Means Sit dog training school, former baseball coach Michael O'Donnell and his wife Melissa acquired the dog, who was ten weeks old when he began training to retrieve baseball bats. 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 get 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 which recorded his retrieval from a first-person perspective. These videos were posted to social media where some became popular nationally, culminating in Ripken being featured 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, fellow black Labrador "Champ" trained alongside Ripken to eventually serve as Ripken's replacement. Ripken died not long after in 2025 from an undiagnosed medical condition.