# Do any sports teams have living, real animals as team “pets” or “mascots” or “ambassadors” or what have you?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [August 23, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414 "2025-08-23T16:54:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/1 "2025-08-23T16:54:28Z")
I’m not talking about a team known as “The Eagles” with a guy in an eagle suit. I mean they also have a living, breathing eagle, too. Or maybe they have an unofficial/official team “pet” that has no bearing on or relationship to the team’s nickname (obviously Wrexham aren’t going to have a real dragon).
St. Louis City SC has Petey, a Labrador retriever who is the [Official](https://youtu.be/Rv1SDvZ32vQ?si=lcNFO4CKxyBIVx8k) Team Pet (and also a metaphor for a sponsor and a big business in St. Louis: Purina).
Any others?
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/2 "2025-08-23T16:55:30Z")
My high school had Panthers.
My daughter’s high school had Tigers.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/3 "2025-08-23T16:56:49Z")
The Brewers, up until a few years ago, had Hank.
> **[Hank (dog)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_(dog)?useskin=vector)**
>
> Hank (c. 2012 – September 12, 2024), also known as Hank T. Dog, was an unofficial mascot of the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. Believed to be a part-Bichon Frise mixed-breed, Hank was rescued by the Brewers when he wandered into their spring training facility before the start of the 2014 season at about two or three years of age.
> Hank was a stray dog when he wandered around the fields of the spring training facility of the Milwaukee Brewers, located at Maryvale Baseball Park in Ph...
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/4 "2025-08-23T17:00:04Z")
Since 1956, the University of Georgia Bulldogs have had a string of live bulldogs, all named Uga. They’re up to Uga XI.
> **[Uga (mascot)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uga_(mascot))**
>
> Uga (/ˈʌɡə/ UG-ə) is the official live mascot of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Since Uga I's introduction in 1956, every Uga has been owned by the Sonny Seiler family of Savannah, Georgia.
> The Uga mascots started in 1956, when Seiler brought a bulldog that was given to him as a wedding present, by Frank Heard, at Georgia Bulldogs' first home game of the season. Afterwards, head coach Wally Butts asked his permission to use the dog as Georgia's mascot, and around the same time a Universit...
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/5 "2025-08-23T17:03:12Z")
My high school, for a few years, had a succession of Bengal tiger cubs, until folks finally realized what a spectacularly bad idea that was. Sure, tiger cubs are cute, but they don’t stay cubs.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/6 "2025-08-23T17:05:08Z")
> [@gkster](#):
>
> Since 1956, the University of Georgia Bulldogs have had a string of live bulldogs, all named Uga. They’re up to Uga XI.
Similarly, the University of Texas Longhorns have had a string of live longhorn cattle, all named Bevo, dating back to 1916. They’re up to Bevo XV.
> **[Bevo (mascot)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevo_(mascot))**
>
> Bevo is the live mascot of the athletic programs at the University of Texas at Austin. Bevo is a Texas Longhorn steer with burnt orange and white coloring from which the university derived its color scheme. The profile of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand symbol and saying, "Hook 'em Horns". The most recent Bevo, Bevo XV, was introduced to Texas football fans on September 4, 2016. His predecessor, Bevo XIV, died of cancer on October 16, 2015. Bevo XV is owned by The i...
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/7 "2025-08-23T17:05:23Z")
Tusk.
Live Razorback mascot.
(U of A)
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### Author:  [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/8 "2025-08-23T17:09:36Z")
The University of Southern California has a white horse ridden on by a Trojan.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/9 "2025-08-23T17:09:48Z")
The Seattle Seahawks have a hawk that flies around before each home game.
[The Seahawks Mascot Lives East of the Cascades](https://kw3.com/did-you-know-the-seahawks-mascot-lives-east-of-the-cascades/)
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### Author:  [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/10 "2025-08-23T17:09:49Z")
The University of North Alabama had [live lions](https://leoanduna.com/) until quite recently, and is looking at bringing them back.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/11 "2025-08-23T17:16:01Z")
Pretty sure both Army and Navy have live mascots, a mule and a goat.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/12 "2025-08-23T17:17:26Z")
The University of Wisconsin Badgers briefly had a live badger mascot at football games, but as American badgers are aggressive, this turned out to be a bad idea.
> [@](#):
>
> The badger started as the official UW mascot with the inception of intercollegiate football in 1889. The original badger mascot was too vicious to control. On more than one occasion, the live badger escaped handlers before a sideline hero recaptured the animal with a flying tackle. It was decided in the interest of fan and player safety that Wisconsin’s mascot be retired to the Madison Zoo. The Badger Yearbook replaced the live badger with a small raccoon named Regdab (badger backwards) and passed it off as a “badger in a raccoon coat.”
Since 1949, the mascot has been a student in a “Bucky Badger” costume.
> **[Bucky Badger - A Historical Look Back](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/2019/2/14/bucky-badger-a-historical-look-back.aspx?id=1581)**
>
> Wisconsin's loveable mascot, Bucky Badger, has always ranked high in fan appeal and enthusiasm. Although badgers in various forms had been the University of Wisconsin
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/13 "2025-08-23T17:23:49Z")
The University of Colorado has a buffalo (bison) as a mascot. It’s always named Ralphie, and the current one is Ralphie VI. The animal storms the field before each football game, with several students holding a ‘leash’.
video here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n\_881gHgSHU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_881gHgSHU)
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/14 "2025-08-23T17:31:57Z")
> [@gkster](#):
>
> Since 1956, the University of Georgia Bulldogs have had a string of live bulldogs, all named Uga. They’re up to Uga XI.
Perhaps a better-known bulldog mascot is [Handsome Dan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handsome_Dan). Since 1889, successive bulldogs have been Yale’s mascot. They’re now up to Handsome Dan XIX.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/15 "2025-08-23T17:44:02Z")
The Texas A&M Aggies have had a long line of collies named Reveille as their mascot.
Interestingly, it is Aggie tradition that if Reveille enters a classroom, and barks, then the professor has to cancel the class session and dismiss the students at once.
> **[Reveille (dog)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reveille_(dog))**
>
> Reveille /ˈrɛˌvəli/ is the official mascot of Texas A&M University. Students adopted the first Reveille, a mixed-breed dog, in 1931. The cadets raised $100 during World War II to make Reveille a general, as part of a fundraiser for the K-9 Corps. Reveille is the highest-ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets as she is the only cadet to have five silver diamonds.
> Eight years after the first Reveille died, a graduate of the university donated a Shetland Sheepdog to be the second official ...
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/16 "2025-08-23T17:45:50Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#):
>
> My high school had Panthers.
> My daughter’s high school had Tigers.
But did they have actual panthers and tigers on the sideline at games? Because that would be cool! 😃
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### Author:  [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/17 "2025-08-23T17:46:15Z")
LSU has had a series of live Tigers named [Mike](https://www.mikethetiger.com/), housed in a facility on campus and brought out to both home and away games, since 1937. They are currently up to Mike VII, who has been on campus since 2017.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/18 "2025-08-23T19:36:42Z")
Mules.
University of Southern Arkansas Muleriders.
Barns full of them. Miss Mulerider rides one at home games. Apparently it’s famous for being real mule-headed at games, the spectators love it.
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### Author:  [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/19 "2025-08-23T19:49:33Z")
My hometown Texas A&M Kingsville (Texas A&I back in the day) Javelinas have a javelina that attends all the football games. Porky, as the mascot is known, is kept in an enclosure attached to a golf cart. Whenever the Javelinas score a touchdown Porky makes a lap around the field while the person driving the golf cart rings a bell.
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414/20 "2025-08-23T19:59:51Z")
The Miami Dolphins during their early years had a live dolphin in a tank in one end zone, named “Flipper” natch after the TV character (on load from the nearby Seaquarium).
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-sports-teams-have-living-real-animals-as-team-pets-or-mascots-or-ambassadors-or-what-have-you/1022414.md?page=2)