The Washington Nationals have closed out their 2026 season, but the team’s official dog will stay plenty busy during the offseason, starting with a visit this weekend to Reston Town Center.
Natty will exchange the company of baseball players for local community members with a booth at the nonprofit Canine Companions’ annual DogFest Washington D.C. on Saturday (Oct. 3) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hosted by Reston Town Center at its pavilion (1818 Discovery Street) since 2015, the free event will feature a variety of family and pup-friendly games, live music, speakers, vendors and service dog demonstrations, raising awareness and funds for Canine Companions’ mission of training service dogs to assist people with disabilities.
“Service dogs open up new opportunities for people with disabilities and spread incredible joy,” DogFest organizer Jackie Cheshire said in a statement. “By supporting DogFest, you’re helping support Canine Companions’ mission of serving adults, children and veterans with disabilities at no charge.”
A volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions, Cheshire has been hosting Natty at her Virginia home since May 4, as he prepares to become a professional service dog.
Born on March 5 in California, the golden retriever and Labrador mix was named based on the results of an online fan vote before his public introduction as the Nationals’ team dog on May 11. In addition to providing some joy to players and fans during an alternately promising and frustrating season, Natty’s presence at Nationals Park has been teaching him socialization skills that will be critical to his future work as a service dog.
According to Canine Companions, Natty will remain with the Nationals through the 2027 MLB season before beginning professional training with the nonprofit’s instructors that November when he’s around 1-and-a-half years old.
“He’ll learn over 40 commands that are useful to a person with disabilities. He’ll learn how to open and close doors, turn lights on and off and pick up dropped items, to name a few,” a Canine Companions spokesperson told FFXnow by email. “He’ll be in professional training for 6 to 9 months and then he’ll be ready to be matched with an adult, child or veteran with a disability free of charge.”
At the end of his training, Natty will join more than 8,900 dogs that have been raised, trained and placed by Canine Companions since it was founded in 1975 in Santa Rosa, California.
The organization developed the modern concept of a service dog as a way to give people with disabilities more independence. It currently has a waitlist of over 400 people seeking to be paired with a canine partner.
The annual DogFest in Reston, which was supported this year by proceeds from the 2026 Philadelphia Marathon, ensures Canine Companions can continue its life-changing work, according to Alexis Gregos, the nonprofit’s northeast region events manager.
“Canine Companions service dogs perform practical tasks that enhance independence and reduce reliance on others,” Gregos said. “They aren’t just the eyes and ears, hands and legs of their human partners, they’re also goodwill ambassadors and often, our best friends. A student achieves their dreams of attending college. A veteran gets a good night sleep. A patient can endure an additional procedure. Lives are transformed after being matched and working with a Canine Companions service dog.”
While the event is free to attend, visitors who register will receive a free DogFest bandana, and they can earn an official T-shirt if they raise at least $125 for Canine Companions.
On-site registration will open at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. The schedule also includes:
- 11:45 a.m.: A speech and demonstration featuring a Canine Companions graduate
- 12:30 p.m.: Contests
- 1:15 p.m.: Puppy-raiser training
- 2 p.m.: Professional trainer demo
Any dogs brought to the festival must be comfortable with crowds and able to get along with other pups and people. They must also be up to date on their vaccinations and kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Female dogs in heat are prohibited at the event.
For Cheshire, one of the highlights of DogFest is the opportunity to meet the recipients of the dogs she and other puppy raisers have trained.
“Getting to meet the people the dogs go to and seeing how they change their lives, both physically and emotionally, that’s what makes it all worth it,” Cheshire said.
