Frisco RoughRiders: Brooks brings smiles as Chief Morale Officer

Team dog Brooks brings joy to the Frisco RoughRiders organization.

Brooks is part of a proud tradition – that of the Minor League Baseball team dogs, who usually come with interesting backstories as they entertain the fans.

Brooks is part of the Frisco RoughRiders organization, the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the American League’s Texas Rangers, and the Riders play in the Dallas area at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

The Lab/Golden mix joined the team in 2015 after some time with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and already had his name, so it’s unclear whether he was named after the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson or country music superstar Garth Brooks. Either way, that’s a pretty impressive legacy to have.

Brooks’ title is “Chief Morale Officer,” according to Ryan Rouillard, Frisco’s radio  broadcaster/communications assistant, because “he’s always lifting people’s spirits around the office.”

He lives with a member of the team’s sales staff, shows up at the office every day and appears at every home game, leading the charge during the “Kids Run the Bases” promotion after most games.

Brooks can be followed on Twitter at @RidersBrooks.

“He’s a very fun-loving pup, although it’s not uncommon to see him lazily lounging on the sales floor or elsewhere around the office every now and then,” Rouillard said in an email to Dog O’Day.

When we have a staff meeting, Brooks is an active participant, making his way through the group in search of attention (and, of course, food!)”

He will get plenty of attention when the Riders host Brooks’ Birthday Bash on Sunday, July 14, where they’ll be giving out doggy bobbleheads to the first 1,500 fans when they take on the San Diego Padres affiliate Amarillo Sod Poodles (which, sadly, aren’t canine at all – a sod poodle is a prairie dog).

According to what Frisco RoughRiders Chief Operating Officer Scott Burchett told Cut4, sometimes Brooks will sneak into the clubhouse, because the players will shower him with attention and let him share an array of snacks. Sometimes he’ll also talk the players into a quick game of fetch, too.

On Thursday, April 18 against the Oakland A’s affiliate Midland RockHounds, Sunday, May 19 against the Sod Poodles, and Thursday, June 13 against the Colorado Rockies affiliate Tulsa Drillers, the Riders will be hosting the dog-friendly Bark in the Park Nights, presented by local vets Legacy Veterinary Hospital.

For Bark in the Park, dogs need to stay on the grass berms in the outfield as a courtesy for fans in the grandstands with allergies, but there will be plenty of water bowls and other amenities stationed around the stadium.

Other Minor League Baseball dogs include Rookie with the Trenton Thunder, Slider with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, and the traveling Jake the Diamond Dog.

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