Character Studies: Champ, the Durham Bulls’ Bat Dog

Character Studies is an INDY series about familiar faces around the Triangle—and the stories you may not know about them.

Champ’s job might sound easy: Whenever a Durham Bulls player gets a hit in the first three innings during one of Champ’s scheduled games, he sprints to the batter’s box, retrieves the baseball bat, and returns it to his handler, Michael O’Donnell. Now think about all the distractions the amiable black Lab must manage—fans screaming, lights flashing, the smell of chili cheese fries wafting through the air—yet Champ never flubs an assignment.

Such discipline doesn’t come easy. Every day, after wolfing down his breakfast and jumping into the front seat of Michael’s car, Champ spends nearly three hours working on long-distance retrieves at the Apex branch of All-Star Dog Training, which Michael and his wife Melissa founded last year. After Michael throws an object, points to it, and says, “Back,” Champ runs after it, picks it up with a “soft bite” (an essential skill when retrieving the Bulls’ wooden bats), and returns it to Michael.

Champ, who turns 3 in April, is rarely fazed by the variety of things Michael asks him to retrieve, a list that includes bats, bumpers, balls, and even eggs. “Michael could throw a potato out there,” said Melissa, “and Champ will go get it.”

Champ has been working on his retrieving skills since he was 8 weeks old. He started with little plastic baseball bats and gradually worked his way up to regular-sized ones. His reward for a successful retrieve? “Love and affection,” said Melissa, “because you can’t always have a pocketful of treats. Champ just wants to please Michael.” She adopted the voice of an overeager puppy. “Champ’s like, ‘You’re my dad! You’re my best friend! Let’s do this! Let’s go have fun!’”

Champ’s training never fully ceases, even at home. If asked, he will sit on a “place cot,” a training device resembling a small trampoline, and stay for as long as 30 minutes. Of course, he wants to lie down, jump off, or run around, anything but continue to sit there, but he doesn’t. Such self-control comes in handy when Champ goes for walks with Michael around their South Raleigh neighborhood without a leash. A tiny dog with a Napoleon complex can bark and lunge at him, and Champ will remain glued to Michael’s side.

Champ brings the same self-discipline with him to Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP), where he’s scheduled to appear on opening day and every Saturday (except July 4 and September 12) this season. Bulls fans often acknowledge Champ’s efforts with the same enthusiasm they give home runs and regard him as a mainstay of the team—even though Champ was named bat dog much earlier in his career than expected.

Heading into last season, the plan was for Champ to split the job with Ripken, the Bulls’ bat dog since 2021, for one year before Ripken retired. But Ripken’s unexpected death on New Year’s Day 2025 forced Champ to take sole possession of the job. Champ looks so much like Ripken—they come from different litters but have the same parents—that casual Bulls fans might not have even noticed the switch.

There is one area where Champ is going to have a hard time matching Ripken, and that’s posing for photos. “Champ is still learning how to sit and look cute,” said Melissa. “He tilts his head, and his lip’s all cocked up, or he’ll turn his head, or he won’t sit still. He’s just so excited because he loves all the love and attention he’s getting.” She adopted the puppy voice again. “He’s like, ‘Oh, my God! I love you! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Yes! Hug me! Yes! Yes! I love you! Thank you!’”

In addition to his job with the Bulls, Champ also retrieves kicking tees for North Carolina State University’s football team. Witnessed by thousands of people in the Triangle, his work has made him a local celebrity. At DBAP, the demand for his “paw-tograph”—Michael signs Champ’s name with a paw print next to it—is so great it often takes Champ three or four innings to get from the field, where he retrieved bats, to club level, where he likes to relax and cool off after work.

As if trying to raise the bar this season, Champ will be working at five of the six Bark in the Park games, when Bulls fans are allowed to bring their dogs. To the long list of distractions Champ must face inside DBAP, you can add barking, howling, and growling.

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