Meet the Phillies' new service dog "Major"
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies added to their roster Wednesday. Major stands about a foot high and weighs maybe 15 pounds. And he's only 10 weeks old.
Please welcome to our Phillies family "Major," the Phillies' new service pup.
He's the newest and youngest Phillies on the roster at least for now.
The service dog in training will soon be paired with a veteran through a joint initiative between the Phillies, Team Foster and Warrior Canine Connection.
Nick Liermann, who runs Team Foster, says there is a major need for pups like Major.
"We know that service dogs are an incredibly elegant solution to a massively complicated problem," Liermann said. "And that is because service dogs are trainable. They're dynamic, they are adaptive in a way that a bottle of pills is not.
"And it's not just anecdotal evidence, clinical research has shown over and over again the value of these service dogs in the fight against post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries and suicide."
But it's not easy it takes time for a pup like Major to be ready to go home with a new owner.
"Everyone that interacts and crosses his path has an opportunity to help get this puppy trained and socialized so that he can one day serve a veteran as a service dog," Rick Yount, the Warrior Canine Connection founder and executive director, said. "Takes about two years to do that."
But Major seems excited about his new job as he danced around with the Phillie Phanatic.
His new teammates were just as excited to meet him.
For more information on Team Foster and the Warrior Canine Connection, you can visit their website.