WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park.

Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, took center stage by retrieving a bat during a Pups in the Park event at the Washington Nationals’ game against the Miami Marlins. For the past two seasons, Bruce has been retrieving bats for the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Nationals.

Sporting a bandana adorned with an “MLB debut” patch received upon his arrival at the stadium, Bruce was presented with a commemorative bat. He then humorously meandered from the dugout to first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory. The crowd was delighted as Bruce energetically performed his duty.

“Just try not to smile at this dog,” said Josh Snyder, Bruce’s owner. “He’s amazing. He’s playful and quirky, making him the perfect representative for Rochester, the Red Wings, and now the Nationals.”

Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with “Bruce” on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium.

Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder’s assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work.

He won’t work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward.

Bruce is Snyder’s second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester’s Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester.

This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday’s debut.

“Social media, everything like that seems like it’s seriously blown up, and we love it,” Snyder said. “Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it’s just doing that.”

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