{"id":388039,"date":"2026-01-03T01:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/388039\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T01:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:58:11","slug":"stray-dog-wanders-onto-tennis-court-and-becomes-the-official-mascot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/388039\/","title":{"rendered":"Stray Dog Wanders Onto Tennis Court And Becomes The Official Mascot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most street dogs\u2019 dreams come true the moment they land a forever home. But for one stray pup in Colombia, his happily-ever-after started the day he stepped on a public tennis court.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/INDER Guarne<\/p>\n

It all started in 2014, when a stray black dog wandered into Guarne\u2019s Institute of Sports and Recreation (INDER)<\/a>. The tennis instructors had never seen the dog before, but they quickly learned he was just as enthralled by the sport as they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dog is obsessed with tennis balls,\u201d Duv\u00e1n Henao, one of INDER\u2019s instructors, said in a Facebook<\/a> video. \u201cHe goes crazy over them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facebook\/INDER Guarne<\/p>\n

The pup, later named Roger, spent his first day at INDER chasing rogue tennis balls, with his tail wagging in delight. The instructors set out food and water for him, and when it was time for everyone to leave for the night, Roger decided to stay.<\/p>\n

Over the next 11 years, Roger became a daily staple at INDER\u2019s tennis court. At first, he\u2019d show up just to chase tennis balls launched out of the court. It wasn\u2019t until he began returning the balls to the players that his role on INDER\u2019s tennis team was solidified.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it was hard because he didn\u2019t really know how to retrieve the balls. He would go off running with the balls. But as time passed, he learned how to bring them back,\u201d Henao said.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/INDER Guarne<\/p>\n

While Roger didn\u2019t have a house to go back to, INDER\u2019s court became his home. The crew made a comfy area for him to rest in their office, where he would sleep soundly at night until the first tennis lesson the following morning.<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s loving caregivers made sure he always had food and water, kept on top of his flea and tick medication, and had him neutered to keep the local stray dog population at bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Facebook\/INDER Guarne<\/p>\n

The staff loved him, and the students couldn\u2019t get enough of his presence around the court. Before long, Roger was INDER\u2019s official ball collector and resident good boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love most about Roger is that he\u2019s always active, he\u2019s always on alert and he always wants to play,\u201d student Tom\u00e1s Ruiz said in the Facebook video. \u201cSo, we also play with him and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can see Roger at work here:<\/p>\n

Roger\u2019s handful of friends eventually turned into hundreds of admirers from around town. Everyone who encountered Roger fell instantly in love with him, and his impact on the community was undeniable.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone always comes and pets him; he is everyone\u2019s spoiled pup,\u201d Henao said. \u201cWhen he\u2019s no longer around, I think it will be a huge loss for everyone \u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n

Facebook\/INDER Guarne<\/p>\n

In 2025, 11 years after his arrival, the INDER team decided to make Roger\u2019s presence permanent by erecting a statue in his honor. After months of planning, Roger\u2019s statue was set to be unveiled in December, along with a party to celebrate the sweet boy.<\/p>\n

But sadly, Roger\u2019s health rapidly declined towards the end of the year. And on November 21, just a few weeks ahead of his statue ceremony, Roger passed away, surrounded by the INDER instructors who loved him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur beloved Roger, the little dog who won everyone’s heart, is now playing in doggy Heaven, surrounded by thousands of tennis balls,\u201d INDER Guarne wrote in a statement on Facebook<\/a>. \u201c[His] paw prints will forever be etched in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can read that statement here:<\/p>\n

A wave of heartache rippled through the community in the days after Roger\u2019s death. Their trusted ball collector was sadly gone, but they refused to let his memory vanish from the court.<\/p>\n

Just weeks after his death, the community gathered at INDER as planned to unveil Roger\u2019s statue. After a tearful reading of his eulogy, the presenters uncovered Roger\u2019s statue, revealing a stone representation of the sweet boy surrounded by tennis balls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis tribute isn’t just for a puppy. It’s for a colleague, a friend and a bit of Guarne history,\u201d INDER Guarne wrote on Facebook<\/a>. \u201cA symbol that will remain right in one of his favorite places, in that space where he ran, played, watched generations of athletes grow, and gave love in the noblest of ways: by being himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch his statue unveiling here:<\/p>\n

Wiping away tears, the audience clapped and cheered at the sight of their beloved friend, thanking him for his loyalty over the years.<\/p>\n

You can see more pictures of the statue here:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a few months since Roger\u2019s passing, and the local tennis community is still adjusting to life without him. While nothing will ever replace Roger\u2019s presence, his statue remains a symbol of the love he once brought to the court.<\/p>\n

And for a stray dog who had nowhere to go, Roger couldn\u2019t have asked for a better outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger didn\u2019t have an owner,\u201d an INDER representative said in a Facebook video. “He had a giant family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'Invisible'<\/a>‘Invisible’ Dog Covered In Motor Oil Walks Up And Down Street, Begging For Help\u201c[H]e\u2019s been out there for a year \u2026\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most street dogs\u2019 dreams come true the moment they land a forever home. But for one stray pup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[6609,64,63,47891,341,34121,2474,6610,2473,85,156,747,339],"class_list":["post-388039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ashley-ortiz","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebration","tag-daily-dodo","tag-dog-stories","tag-dogs","tag-happy-corner","tag-pets","tag-sports","tag-standard","tag-tennis","tag-the-dodo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}