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Dallas Mavericks Assistant athletic trainer Heather Mau has noticed a trend of players eating extra breakfast. It’s not that their appetite has increased, but they need extra food to attract their favorite coworker.
Bailey, a two-year-old mini Bernedoodle, is the team’s emotional support animal, the only one known to exist among NBA teams. She was “hired” in April 2022 for a job that requires her to be herself and be pampered by professional basketball players.
While Mau is proud to say the Mavericks are the first NBA team to do this, he hopes to inspire other organizations to get emotional support animals. He said even with the team’s busy schedule, having Bailey has added many benefits.
“We’re trying to be progressive in this regard as an organization,” Mau said. “Being the first to have an emotional support animal and really putting our mental health (the mental health of the players, staff and coaches) at the forefront and focusing on what we do.”
Naturally, the team loves to pamper her.
“Dwight PowellTim Hardaway jose green and Maxi Kleber Normally they’re the ones who are victims in that category,” Mau told CBS Sports. “But there are some staff members who coddle her even more than the players.”
Head coach Jason Kidd and other Mavericks brass approved the decision to hire Bailey, and Mau couldn’t volunteer quickly enough to care for her full-time.
“I like to say that, frankly, I tricked everyone here into getting me a dog,” Mau joked. “She is incredible. She brings a lot of light not only to my life but also to the building.”
Mau is Bailey’s mother and the players are her “uncles.” The sweet employee has a busy schedule because she attends all the practices, home games, shootouts and treatments with Mau. Luckily, she gets plenty of treats to help keep her energy up.
“This dog is sometimes too smart,” Mau said. “She doesn’t like to eat everything at home for breakfast before we go to work because she knows that she will go to work and have more breakfast.”
The players make no apologies for such behavior.
Dallas Mavericks
“Do I feed Bailey too much? I don’t think so,” Green said. The Dallas Morning News. “She does a lot for the team. She’s one of our teammates. She’s always there to help me, so I bring extra breakfast every morning.”
Sure, Bailey sometimes gets nervous and runs around the facility going “absolutely crazy.” And yes, he sometimes forgets that he should not play for his mother’s team, but he brings a lot of joy to everyone in the organization.
“That’s what Bailey brings, something different but also happiness,” Kidd said. WFAA.
He stays home for away games, but still shares his support for his uncles on his Instagram account, which his mother finally allowed him to have in December.
Bailey receives many hugs from the team, an endless amount of kisses and Powell has even gone so far as to use matching outfits with her. In December he had a Birthday Party and his favorite uncles did not miss it.
The San Francisco 49ers appear to be the only other professional sports organization doing something similar. They have Zoe, an adorable French bulldog who has captured the hearts of the entire campus. She had a brother, Rookie, but she passed away last year. Zoe belongs to the team’s director of player engagement, but other members of the organization also help take care of her.
Her Instagram is full of photos of her colleagues proudly posing with her.
Not only do Bailey and Zoe make work days more fun, mental health professionals agree that animals have real mood-boosting benefits.
Ed Chavez, the 49ers’ mental performance doctor, believes every team should consider adding a mascot to its roster.
“I’m a big proponent of having therapy dogs. Studies have shown that they reduce stress, anxiety and depression,” Chavez said. “Having them around is very beneficial for our mental health. Interacting with dogs reduces stress hormones and releases calming, feel-good biochemicals in the brain. They generally make us feel better.”
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