DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have a new addition to the team, and she is just as responsible as anyone else for adding to a winning culture for the Mavs organization. Of course, she has her own methods of making a difference on the team.
"She doesn't know if we won or lost. She changes moods and has no judgment," joked Heather Mau, assistant athletic trainer.
According to Mavs big man Dwight Powell, she can also sniff a sausage from 75 meters, easily. We're talking about Bailey, the dog. And, since metrics and numbers matter around professional sports organizations, Bailey is a 2-year-old, 24-pound, mini-Berna doodle.
"She provides me a bunch of joy," said Mau.
Bailey is her responsibility and is never too far from her.
"I am 100%, 100% a dog person," she said.
Mau said she and several others with the organization's wellness department were tossing around the idea of having an emotional support animal. Mau immediately raised her hand and said she'd care for it.
"That's what Bailey brings, something different but also happiness," said Mavs head coach Jason Kidd.
Coach Kidd and the higher-ups ultimately green-lit the decision to have a team dog. Word got out soon after that, and the players kept barking about it.
"'When are we getting a dog? When are we getting a dog? Did we get a yes?'" Mau recalls the players asking for weeks on end.
"You can't tease somebody saying, 'we're getting a dog' and then it's not there the next day," said Dwight Powell. "It's very novel to have a dog in your workplace."
Bailey is the NBA's first and only emotional support dog. Players like Dwight Powell, Green, Hardaway, Kleber, are especially close to her.
"You bring a cute little dog into this building and all these men will melt," laughed Mau.
What she brings cannot be measured and it goes beyond the physical. And, especially in a high stakes, high stress, and hyper-competitive environment.
"It brings levels down," said Mau. "They have a great ability to read affect, great ability to read behaviors," said Don Kalkstein, performance counselor and therapist
Like a player reads a play, Bailey can read energy.
"I think it lightens the mood in a way that's not taking away the seriousness of what we do," said Powell.
What Bailey provides is training and therapy of a different kind, and she does it better than any human can do. And the hope is that ultimately translates to the court.
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