After borrowing UNC's REMINGTON, Cleveland Cavs may get their own therapy dog

REMINGTON, the famous North Carolina baseball team therapy dog, has made a name for himself in the NBA.

Cleveland Cavaliers players have taken quite the interest in the 3-year-old golden retriever since meeting him in Charlotte, prior to their 118-105 win over the Hornets on March 28.

Cavs guard J.R. Smith posted a photo of himself and REMINGTON on Instagram, calling him “My new best friend.” Smith went on to hit 8-of-9 for 19 points in the win.

Cleveland has since flown REMINGTON and handler Terri Jo Rucinski, UNC baseball’s head trainer, to several playoff games at Quicken Loans Arena, according to a report by cleveland.com. Enough players have benefited from the visits that the Cavs are considering getting their own therapy dog, the report said.

"Every time I see him I smile, I have a good time," Smith told the Ohio news website. "We were talking about getting one as a team and he's just very beneficial. I think he brings a smile to a lot of people's faces."

REMINGTON became the Tar Heels’ dugout dog in the fall of 2016. His official title is psychiatric medical alert facility rehabilitation service dog.

Rucinski, the coordinator of UNC’s campus health physical therapy department, wanted to bring a canine’s comforting presence into her training room.

She found what she was looking for at Wilmington nonprofit paws4people, and REMINGTON became the first of his kind to work with an ACC baseball team.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 10:25 AM with the headline "After borrowing UNC's REMINGTON, Cleveland Cavs may get their own therapy dog."