Los Angeles Dodger Shohei Ohtani, spouse Mamiko Tanaka and canine Decoy arrive at Dodger Stadium for the staff’s World Collection Championship celebration. Obligatory Credit score: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY through Imagn Photos
NEW YORK— As Los Angeles Dodgers followers thronged to the World Collection victory parade in Los Angeles on Friday, many had their eyes on most useful participant Freddie Freeman. However within the combine was one other MVP — the Dodgers’ most useful pet: Decoy Ohtani, canine of Shohei.
The much-memed Decoy, a Nederlanse kooikerhondje, or Dutch kooikerhondje, was nestled in Ohtani’s arms on the highest part of a double-decker parade bus.
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Decoy has change into a fixture of Dodgers — and canine — fandom. The pup was on Ohtani’s lap when he realized he was the primary Main League Baseball participant ever to be unanimously chosen twice as Most Beneficial Participant, which he achieved whereas with the Los Angeles Angels.
READ: Shohei Ohtani, his canine Decoy share first-pitch duties
Decoy additionally featured in Ohtani’s post-victory Instagram submit, with photographs of the canine being taken for a stroll amid autumnal foliage and searching groggy in mattress simply after pictures of the Dodgers’ champagne celebration.
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani holds his canine Decoy throughout the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball World Collection championship parade Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photograph/Jae C. Hong)
After Ohtani went on to signal a report $700 million, 10-year cope with the Dodgers, a few of the first questions that reporters had for him had been concerning the canine. At a information convention, the Japanese-born Ohtani revealed his pet’s title — in Japanese, Dekopin, however he prompt that Decoy can be simpler for Individuals to pronounce.
It’s additionally a becoming title for a member of this Dutch duck-hunting breed. Certainly, the English phrase “decoy” is believed to return from the Dutch time period “de kooi,” which implies “the cage.”
READ: Shohei Ohtani reveals canine’s title at Dodgers’ introduction
The Nederlandse kooikerhondje (pronounced NAY’-dehr-lahn-seh KOY’-kehr-hahnd-jeh) was initially educated to get geese’ consideration after which lure them into net-covered canals for hunters to catch. Check out many a Dutch Previous Grasp portray, and when you spot a smallish, brown and white, spaniel-like canine with lengthy ears, you’ve most likely seen an ancestor of at present’s kooikerhondje.
Homeowners say the breed is full of life and intelligent.
Intelligent sufficient to, as an example, perform the ceremonial first pitch in entrance of almost 54,000 individuals, as Decoy did at a Dodgers-Orioles sport in August.
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Decoy’s portrait won’t be hanging on a museum wall, however he’s been immortalized in an Ohtani bobblehead. The pooch additionally acquired a particular, supersized “visa” throughout a go to to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo final winter.
