Tucker, Mariners' official clubhouse dog

CASHMERE– Early August in baseball encompasses the draining “dog days of summer.” Temperature and humidity reach lofty heights on the proverbial emerald chess board as the grind of the 162-campaign begins to tucker out the players. 

The Seattle Mariners have recently redefined “dog days” and “Tucker.” On August 6, the Mariners announced Tucker as their first official clubhouse dog, first in Major League Baseball. They adopted the free agent yellow mixed Labrador from OkanDogs, a non-profit animal rescue service based in Cashmere. Seattle logs more miles than any other franchise in an oft-grueling daily sport. Tucker’s pilgrimage from doghouse to clubhouse provides the Mariners with some four-legged levity in their pursuit to end a 21-year playoff drought. 

“Having the dog around is just going to give the players not only that support aspect but also it’s a source of camaraderie for the team and something that players can talk about among each other besides baseball,” said Jill Servais, wife of Mariners manager Scott Servais. “It’s really been something that brings the whole group together as animals often do in a family.” 

The pair have worked with animals for over three decades. Jill kept hearing about a retired pilot in his 70s who, along with his wife, would drive around Okanogan County in a van saving lost dogs and taking them to his shelter. “I have to meet this person,” Servais remembered thinking. 

That person is Tom Short who, along with his bride Jan, founded OkanDogs in 2014. Scott and Jill began volunteering last year. The Shorts had previously volunteered at an animal shelter and noticed a need for an animal rescue service. Okanogan County is roughly the size of Connecticut yet has no funded Humane Societies or shelters for dogs. 

Through eight years of service, OkanDogs has provided medical care, spay/neuter services, and adoptions for thousands of dogs. The organization seeks an adoption rate of 100 percent and an euthanasia/fatality rate of zero. Last year, the shelter took in 801 dogs. 

“The purpose of our organization is to help primarily dogs from the North Central Washington area that  don’t have any other resources,” Short said. “We’re a little one-horse outfit here in Cashmere and we’re having an awful time trying to compete to get dogs adopted from within the state of Washington.” 

Enter the Mariners, who stepped up to bat. They started following OkanDogs on Facebook. In early June, Jill noticed Tucker on the social media page and the four-year-old pup drew her attention. The Mariners had pondered the idea of a team dog for some time and considered many factors in picking the pooch. The chosen dog would live in the bustling Seattle area including T-Mobile Park’s noisy environment of fireworks, music, and ample locker room traffic. With Tucker hailing from rural Okanogan County, Servais wanted to ensure a smooth transition to city life. “We were looking for a dog that would not only tolerate it but would actually thrive in that environment. We wanted to make sure the dog was comfortable with sirens, airplanes, and a variety of things that city dogs experience that country dogs do not,” Servais said. “When OkanDogs got Tucker, we recognized that he was probably the perfect candidate for this position.” Later in June, Servais and her daughter drove to Cashmere to obtain an informal scouting report on Tucker. The dog made a good impression and with Servais’ help, the Mariners selected him as their first, and only, pick in the unofficial doggy draft. Jack Mosimann, Mariners’ director of Major League operations, fetched Tucker in early July and began developing a schedule to introduce him to life in the Big Leagues. Mosimann has become Tucker’s primary caretaker.  

The Mariners announcement instantly made Tucker a national sensation. Among the media outlets who covered Tucker’s tale were ESPN, CNN, People and King 5. Tucker now boasts his own Twitter account (@MarinersPup) with over 25,000 followers. His ceremonial first tweet on August 6 read: “My name’s Tucker, I’m a 4-year-old lab/retriever mix, and I was just adopted by the @Mariners clubhouse from OkanDogs! I’m gonna get to hang out at the ballpark all the time, travel with the squad and enjoy my very own unlimited supply of baseballs. Doesn’t get better than this!”  Many agree. “It’s amazing to me how much people around the whole country are applauding the idea of having a dog on the team. Within a day and a half every news source in the United States was knocking at the door,” Short said. “The fact that it’s a novel idea to take a dog on your team and the fact that he interacts so well with the team members and the public warmed to the idea of seeing him running around the field there and interacting. It touches people’s hearts.”

Tucker has especially touched the players’ hearts. Mariners who have tweeted about Tucker include relief pitcher Erik Swanson and shortstop J.P. Crawford.

“The players do love him and they’re a lot of dog lovers on this team,” Servais said. “Many of them own dogs themselves which in a baseball life is a very big challenge.”

Tucker maintains a daily presence in Seattle’s club house. Player’s pet and play with him constantly. He bounds in and out of Servais’ office at ease. Often Jill will video chat with her husband and say hello to Tucker. 

Currently, overpopulation and lack of funding are stretching animal shelters. They are forced to euthanize far more than usual. Servais feels Tucker’s adoption and adaptation to the Mariners exemplifies the power of rescue dogs.  

“I think we’re all just thrilled that the dog has adjusted the way he has, and we really wanted again for the dog to thrive in the environment and not in any way be asked to do something that he wasn’t comfortable doing,” she said. “The timing for bringing Tucker in is appropriate given what’s going on in the animal world. In terms of the national exposure, I was actually pretty surprised that this story has gone as far as it had but I’m grateful for the amplification of the availability of such great dogs.” Soon, the dog days of summer will fade into a crucial Seattle September stretch of meaningful baseball with the elusive playoffs in view. Should the Mariners taste postseason glory, perhaps Tucker will continue his impactful romping on the field under October skies. 

To donate to or volunteer with OkanDogs, visit www.okandogs.com.