Duke Basketball's Service Dog Graduates, Cheers Team

0:00The latest headlines, weather, and stories, right here on Derm News Today. Duke Women's Basketball Team has a special team member these days, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Rina. Shay's part of the university's Puppy kindergarten program, training to become a service dog. The players and coaches adore her, and she hangs out in the locker room and at practices wearing a service vest and a sparkly purple collar. The program started in 2019 and pairs puppies with student handlers on campus. Duke basketball rotates through different dogs each semester, helping with early socialization. One's that succeed, move on to more advanced training, while others might end up as therapy dogs, military working dogs, or family pets. The team has worked with over a dozen pups so far. Players say Rina brings a ton of joy and boosts team morale, especially during busy tournament prep. Coach Kara Lawson, usually all business, set up the partnership and even tracks a perfect graduation rate for their puppies last year.

1:00Shay's smart about practice time, knowing when to chill and when to play, though she got a quick time out once for too much barking. This week, Mark Dorena's last day with the team, like her big graduation moment. She attends several practices weekly and joins office hangouts, making everyone smile. Meanwhile, the number 2C Blue Devils, with a 24-in-8 record, hosts their first NCAA tournament game Friday at 11.30am. Against number 14, Seed College of Charleston, at Cameron Indoor. Fresh off back-to-back ACC titles, they're aiming deeper into the bracket, and Rina plans to cheer them on. The Daily News Now, is presented by our sponsor. It is a pillow that plays your podcast and music without earbuds, built for listening in bed, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-Pillow.com.