Therapy dogs real stars of Women's College World Series, aiding mental health and performance

There is one team nearly every player in Oklahoma City is the most hyped to see during the 2024 Women’s College World Series — and it's not back-to-back-to-back defending champion Oklahoma, or 12-time champion UCLA, or even Texas, the No. 1 team in the country.

Except this team doesn't wear cleats ... because the stars have paws. It’s not a team full of dominant pitchers or home run hitters, but a group of pups bringing love to everyone they meet and led by a 115-pound Rottweiler named Ripley.

The dogs of A New Leash on Life, a therapy dog and service dog training program, have become celebrities for every team trying to win the NCAA softball national championship. A few years ago, the organization was reaching out to teams about therapy dog meetups. Now, teams are reaching out to them hoping to schedule pets and play time.

“It's good to be able to see these teams,” David Rudkin, Ripley's owner and the scheduling coordinator for A New Leash on Life, told USA TODAY. “It relieves a little bit of stress and they have a great smile on their face.”

'A lot of fun, different size dogs'

The lineup of pups has become such a hit with teams, the program started doing meetups outside of the Women’s College World Series. Teams that visited the Sooners for a series this season received therapy dog sessions, and since the Big 12 softball tournament was in Oklahoma City, conference teams got visits, too. They’ve also met with gymnastic teams visiting the city.

With such a busy schedule and visits that go up to two hours, one might think the dogs would be exhausted and their social batteries drained. While Ripley does get tired – taking extensive naps after she gets home – she appears to find joy in the visits just as much as the people do.

“The dogs love it,” Rudkin said.

Ripley is the star of the show, but the crew she brings along is special in its own way. Rudkin said he doesn’t like the term, but he describes the dogs that do visits as “washed-out service dogs.” Basically, these dogs didn’t pass the training to become a service dog.

But hope wasn’t lost in them helping people, since they’ve instead become therapy dogs clearly great at their job.

There are some personalities, too. There’s Luna, a small rescue dog who loves to jump and play dead. There’s also Parker, a chihuahua who draws “awws” anytime she makes an appearance.

“A lot of fun, different size dogs, and dogs that have their own personality,” Rudkin said.

The program plans for continued growth and sharing puppy love with more people in the future. With Oklahoma moving to the SEC for the 2024-25 academic year, that means a whole new crop of athletes coming to the Norman-Oklahoma City area can meet the pups. Rudkin also wants to involve more sports teams in addition to softball, like football and baseball teams.

Why visits with therapy dogs are so special

The visits never get old for Rudkin, thinking about the reactions players have once the hounds are released and they get to bask in their presence. Most visits are surprises, and that’s what created one of his most memorable moments.

When Washington was in Oklahoma City for last year’s World Series, the players were told they all needed to go into a room in the team hotel. The players thought they were in trouble and awaited punishment. But they were shocked to see the dogs come instead, and “they just rushed” to see all the dogs. Other notable visits involve Texas and Hofstra softball since the player’s families were also there for the sessions.

It didn’t take long for teams to reach out to Rudkin after they punched their ticket to this year’s World Series. Duke, which is playing in its first WCWS, was the first team to get a visit from Ripley and the gang. On Wednesday, top-ranked Texas got to soak in the experience. Rudkin added there are other teams wanting visits, but with such a packed schedule and games underway, they are still trying to work out available times.

Rudkin said these visits are truly special for everyone involved, considering how grueling it can be to play in the postseason as a college athlete, especially when several games are played away from home.

“It's being a D-I athlete, then you add ‘student’ on top of that, and then you're halfway across the country from your family. You’re away from everything. Then there’s the nerves, the pressure,” Rudkin said. “I don’t know if the NCAA is doing anything to help with mental health, but we come in and provide that for them.”

One could make the case the visits help teams have success at Devon Park, where the WCWS is played. Last season, all the teams that got visits ended up winning their game afterward, including 2023 national champion Oklahoma. So if a team wants to have success and possibly be crowned the 2024 national champions, then look no further than Ripley and her lineup of extraordinary dogs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Therapy dogs are stars of NCAA softball Women's College World Series