Ripken the bat dog, a black labrador retriever who fetched the hearts of sports fans across North Carolina, died on New Year’s Day.
The O’Donnell family, owners of Ripken, announced the sobering news in a social media post on Friday afternoon.
“To the very best friends a dog has ever had, it is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved family member, and the sports world’s very best boy, Ripken The Bat Dog. Ripken crossed the rainbow bridge unexpectedly on (New Year’s Day) after suffering complications from a serious, undiagnosed medical condition which he sadly could not recover from.”
Starting in 2019 as a 3-year-old pup, Ripken worked as a retrieval dog in baseball, carrying bats for the Durham Bulls, Holly Springs Salamanders and Savannah Bananas. He retrieved tees for N.C. State football at Carter-Finley Stadium and dropped pucks for the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center.
“Devastated to lose this beloved member of our family,” N.C. State athletics wrote in a social media post. “Thank you, Ripken, for bringing so much joy to Wolfpack Nation. You will be missed.”
In a similar social media post, the Durham Bulls said “Ripken was the bestest boy.”
“All of us with the Bulls organization are devastated to hear the news of his passing. He put smiles on so many adoring fans’ faces, and will truly be missed.”
Ripken, who has more than 149,000 Instagram followers, also served as the grand marshal in his hometown at the Fuquay-Varina Christmas parade and made his final professional retrieval on Dec. 22 at the Carolina Panthers’ final home game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
“While we are struggling to figure out why this happened, what we do know is that Ripken was more than a dog, he was more than a pet, he was a bright furry light that spread smiles around the world. Not only will Ripken forever be a legend here in North Carolina, but Heaven has now gained a sweet, handsome, four-legged Angel,” the O’Donnell family wrote.
“Until we meet again Rippy-Roo.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
