Hank the stray dog makes Sausage Race debut at Brewers camp

A stray puppy named Hank took Milwaukee Brewers camp by storm last week when he pranced into their Maryvale, Ariz. facility and refused to leave.

Not that anyone was asking the little guy to leave, mind you, especially after they got to spend a few minutes with him. In fact, Hank made such a strong first impression on everybody that the team quickly decided to adopt him and make him an unofficial mascot for spring training. And if you think Hank isn't taking this new role seriously, you simply don't know the dog you're dealing with.

In order to be the best darn unofficial mascot/ballpark pup he can be, Hank took to the field on Wednesday and joined the Brewers famous racing sausages for a warm up race in preparation for the regular season. Yes, the players need spring training, but so do the mascots, official or otherwise. You never know when your name will be called and you'll be needed in active duty.

Every sausage race needs a hot dog anyway. Hank fits the bill (and the buns) perfectly.

As we learned last week, Hank is committed to his responsibilities with the Brewers. He even fit in a little office work with general manager Doug Melvin while assisting manager Ron Roenicke in the dugout. If the mascot thing doesn't work out, or the Brewers consider him for a promotion, he's going to have to have his bases covered.

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Mark Townsend

is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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