The Rochester Red Wings have announced that Milo the Bat Dog has died.
The team said last week that the golden retriever, who was 7 years old, was battling liver disease.
Milo made his debut at the ballpark in 2019 after being trained for months to retrieve bats. He appeared at two games before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancelation of the 2020 season. He returned for two games in 2021 and six games in 2022. Milo was scheduled to make eight appearances this year at Innovative Field, but health issues limited him to only appearing at Opening Day and Friday, April 28.
The team says they will work with Milo’s owner, Josh Snyder, to plan a memorial event later this summer.
A memorial video for Milo can be viewed here.
Snyder and his fiancé, Sam Van Hout, released a letter on Milo’s passing:
Friends:
I wish Milo’s story had a happy ending but unfortunately it does not. Milo has passed away.
If you had the chance to meet Milo then you know how much love he had to give. He had such a positive impact on the Rochester community. Not only from the thousands of dollars he raised for not for profit organizations, but also the smiles he brought to every single person’s face that either watched him in action first hand, watched a video of him fetching bats or if you were lucky enough to meet “The Goodest Boy” you know he was truly one of a kind.
In 2019, when Milo and I got a call from Tim Doohan (Promotions Manager at the Red Wings) we were offered the opportunity to basically “try out” as him being a “Bat Dog”. At that first game in 2019, I can honestly say I never thought we would be so successful, doing so much good for the community even though that was always the goal.
From 2019 until now, I honestly don’t know how many total bats Milo has fetched for the Red Wings. But what is more important is that I do know how many people Milo has loved. And that number is ....Every. Single. One.
Someday I will write a story about how Milo saved my life, gave so much love to so many people and made such a positive impact on a community all in one short lifetime but unfortunately, now is not the time.
Milo The Bat Dog’s legacy lives on through everyone. The shirts, hats, plush dolls and baseball cards. The stories of how you and your family went to the ballpark to see a dog that fetches bats in order to raise money for non-profits.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for everything over the years.
Sam and Josh
