Central STL News

St. Louis CITY SC has introduced its first official team pet, a two-year-old English Labrador Retriever named Petey. The announcement was made in partnership with Purina and local nonprofit CHAMP Assistance Dogs, which trained and certified Petey as a facility dog.

Petey will serve as an ambassador for the club in the community and provide wellbeing support to players, coaches, staff, supporters, and fans. His introduction to the team was marked by a ceremonial paw print and jersey presentation from CITY SC players João Klauss and Simon Becher.

According to the organizations involved, Petey was chosen from seven candidates based on his calm demeanor and adaptability to large groups. “Friendly with a ‘calm under pressure’ demeanor, Petey loves naptime and playtime, and being around people. He’s always happy and well suited to handle the energy and electricity of CITY home matches as well as the various tasks he’ll support through club and community activities.”

In his new role, Petey will participate in matchday traditions at Energizer Park, join daily activities with players including training sessions and recovery routines, interact with front office staff, sporting department members, fans, academy teams, and make appearances at outreach events.

The club noted that certified facility dogs like Petey can help reduce stress and anxiety among individuals they interact with. “Certified facility dogs can help reduce stress and anxiety, decrease feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression, and even lower blood pressure.” This is part of CITY SC’s ongoing efforts to foster positive engagement both within the organization and throughout St. Louis.

Petey is set to make his debut during Saturday night’s match against Nashville SC at 7:30 p.m. at Energizer Park. The process behind selecting the team pet is documented in a four-part series titled “TEAM PET,” available on CITY SC’s YouTube channel; episode three will be released Wednesday.