The dog became a sensation when he was seated beside Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani’s dog Decoy is quickly climbing the ranks of famous pooches in the world of sports.

He captured hearts when he was seated beside the Los Angeles Dodgers star for the 2023 AL MVP Award ceremony.

While it’s Shohei who continues to make headlines thanks to his play on the diamond, it’s Decoy who may have won the heart of baseball fans around the world.

His celebrity status only increased during the 2024 MLB seasons as he was spotted in Shohei’s arms during the World Series parade. Decoy was also beside Shohei when he took home the NL MVP award.

Special shoutout for Decoy

The latest sign that Decoy has firmly entered the sporting world came during the National Dog Show. When another dog of the same breed, the Nederlandse Looikerhondje, came up as a participant, the announcer couldn’t help but name drop Decoy.

“The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje, very famous in this country, all of a sudden with Shohei Ohtani and his dog, Decoy. Shohei, of course, was the MVP for the National League,” the announcer stated.

Decoy 🐶 was mentioned during the #NationalDogShow today, when a fellow Nederlandse Kooikerhondje named “Torch”, was introduced. 💙🐶 @Dodgers #DecoyOhtani pic.twitter.com/EdCLgIbprY

— A-HOPE ⁷ #APOBANGPO 💜7️⃣ WS Champs LA Dodgers (@BangBangtan_0T7) November 28, 2024

“Decoy threw out the first pitch of a Dodgers game this year. It was beautiful and also was a big part of the parade for celebrating their World Championship.”

Although the dog is rare in the USA, that may change given Decoy’s growing popularity. He even became the first dog to do a ceremonial first pitch at a Dodgers game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Decoy was carried to the mound by Shohei while decked out in a custom jersey. This brought a round of applause from the 53,000 fans in attendance, and even manager Dave Roberts couldn’t help but be smitten.

“If it’s Shohei’s dog, nothing should be that surprising,” he said.