The Madison Mallards are excited to announce a new addition to the 2018 roster. Colt, a 45 pound border collie from Madison, will be joining the team as the Bat Dog for the 2018 season!

Colt, who is owned and trained by Kate Bucci, appeared in one game during the 2017 season and posted a perfect 1.00 fetching average. He will return for 16 games in 2018. As the bat dog, his duties will include retrieving the bats from the batter’s box after each batter and entertaining guests throughout the game.

Although it may sound like an easy job, training a dog to be a bat dog takes time and patience. Bucci began training Colt, initially for disc competitions, when he was only four months old. He qualified for Updog International Finals his first year competing.

In order to be a bat dog, Colt must understand hand signals, have a solid desire to fetch and be able to ignore everything else going on, including fetching the ball. “[Colt] and I have an amazing bond and love to work as a team,” said Kate. “He wants to do this with me, not for me.”

When not honing his bat dog skills, Colt’s hobbies include competition disc and dock diving. He enjoys anything fast paced, demonstrating all of his tricks, and swimming.

“We are beyond excited to have Colt as part of our team! Fans love him, players love him, and we know he’s going to be a great addition to Mallards games,” said Mallards General Manager Tyler Isham.

Colt is currently scheduled for the following 2018 games:
June: 3, 8, 14, 15, 28, 30
July: 5, 13, 20, 21, 26, 29
August: 2, 4, 6, 10

Single game tickets for all Mallards games are on sale now. To purchase tickets, click here.

Have a group of 10 or more? Call the Mallards Ticket Office at 608-246-4277 for more information on group outings at the Duck Pond.