DETROIT (WXYZ) — Whether it's shredding a Los Angeles Rams football or taking photos with fans while sporting his lion's mane, Detroit's Ambassadog has been hyping up Detroit Lions fans all season.
Over Zoom, his owner and social media handler Tom McDevitt introduced us.
"This is Bobby. He is online known as the Detroit Ambassadog," McDevitt said.
Bobby is a 10-year-old pit bull. He and McDevitt moved to downtown Detroit this past summer and launched Detroit Ambassadog shortly after.
McDevitt did so for two reasons.
First, to show people what kind of pets pit bulls can be.
"I knew that if I sort of highlighted and took him around the city and allowed him to meet other people, it might sort of alter the stigma a little bit," McDevitt said.
The second reason is to represent Detroit.
"The other part is just the city of Detroit, right? The city of Detroit is almost like the pit bull of America. We also get a bad rep. We’re looked at as violent and crime-ridden."
After months of frequenting Detroit Lions tailgates, comments on Detroit Ambassadog's social media pages are flooding in.
"Go Lions!” one fan commented.
“This dawg needs to be at the game,” another person said.
“Saw him last weekend.. He’s awesome! Kids loved him,” another comment read.
So now, McDevitt is taking Bobby's tail across the country to California to show San Francisco 49ers fans what Detroit is all about.
"Dan Campbell had requested that the NFL allow the Lions to have an actual lion on the sideline, and they sort of frowned upon that," McDevitt said. "But I figure what better alternative than to have Bobby, the Detroit Ambassadog, be the Lions' mascot?"
Bobby and McDevitt are hoping to arrive in Santa Clara, California, Friday evening.
Whether they're somehow at the game or outside a local bar, one thing is for sure, they'll be hyping up Lions fans everywhere.
