As the Tar Heels head into the collegiate national championship basketball game tonight against Gonzaga, North Carolina fans hope they won’t need “Remi.”  The two-year-old Golden Retriever isn’t just Carolina’s first athletics training room assistance dog, he’s the first such dog in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Technically speaking, “Remington” is a Psychiatric Medical Alert Facility Rehabilitation Service Dog.

Ok, we finessed the truth a bit. Remi works with the baseball team. Terri Jo Rucinski, coordinator of the physical therapy clinic and staff athletic trainer, has worked with the Tar Heels baseball team for 12 years and says the atmosphere this year is different with Remi around. Student athletes who underwent surgeries in the fall turned the corner emotionally really quickly – but we’ll let you hear this for yourself:

Remi has the same work schedule as the team’s trainer and carries huge responsibilities, like taking balls to the umpire, carrying signs of encouragement that say things like “Beat Duke” and comforting players who are having a bad day. During the national anthem, Remi even takes his hat off and holds it in his mouth.

He began his training when he was just three days-old. By 16 weeks, he had graduated to a program for obedience and disabilities skills training that included opening and closing refrigerator doors. He also learned basic command sets. Now, Remi knows more than 100 commands, and can offer fist bumps for players. You can follow Remi on his Instagram page.