Bring on the pomp and circumstance. Watson is now a graduate.

Yes, the Blue Wahoos’ beloved, 18-month-old, service-dog-in-training, walked across a stage Friday at the Judah Church in Orlando to commemorate the pup’s completion of a first-stage of preparation to become a service dog companion.

It was a ceremony tinged with some natural emotion for Watson’s trainer, Kathryn Daniel, and her husband Brion, along with two children, who made Watson part of their family since the black labrador/retriever mix arrived in June 2021 to begin initial training.

“(Graduation) is a big ceremony with a speaker. They introduce us and we all go across the stage and they put pictures and talk about each puppy,” Daniel said. “After that, the people who are there to get their service dogs are formally paired with their new partner.”

The next phase is for Watson to spend time at the Southeast Region Training Center of Canine Companions, located in Orlando, to determine whether he can be a service dog, or a hearing dog, or simply an adopted part of a new family. Canine Companions, a national organization based in California with six regional centers, pairs service dogs free of charge with someone in need.

“The hardest part for me is the week leading up to it,” said Daniel, who trained her first service dog, Chappie, while she was part of the WEAR-3 TV news team. “And so it was kind of a teary Tuesday. But I can’t really dwell on that, because all the feelings will go down the leash and (dog) will sense it.

“And you don’t want last days at home being me moping around,” she said. “But all of our family kinda gets sad at different times. But right now we are really excited, because I know how much fun (Watson) is going to have. And he loves other dogs. And he loves to be active and in the midst of other dogs.”

Watson, a name voted by Blue Wahoos fans in honor of two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, who is a Blue Wahoos co-owner, spent the past year and a half endearing itself to anyone at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The pup, which now weighs 64 pounds, spent the second half of the 2021 season and the entire 2022 season as a frequent guest to the ballpark.

“A stadium is the perfect place to train a speech or service dog,” Daniel said. “The most important thing that we do is not just train (dog) the 30 commands. That’s important, but that’s secondary.

“The most important thing is to socialize them and expose Watson to different surfaces and experiences. Just at the Blue Wahoos Stadium, you have stairs, grates, clay, concrete, artificial turf, real grass, elevators, everything… And it is just perfect.”

“And he meets all kinds of people like people wearing all different kinds of clothing. Sometimes dogs get thrown off by the oddest things, so the earlier you can expose a future service dogs to large crowds, loud noises, music blaring, then they are attune to that earlier.

“I can’t think of a better place to train a service dog. It has been amazing.”

Don’t fret, Blue Wahoos fans. The plan is for another puppy on-deck as the next new addition to the Blue Wahoos team. The plan is for that to happen before the 2023 season begins in April.

But for now, the focus has been on Watson’s feats.

Blue Wahoos vice president Donna Kirby traveled to Orlando to be part of Watson’s Nov. 4 graduation ceremony. Kirby remembers when Daniel first broached the idea of the Blue Wahoos being part of Watson’s training experience.

It was immediately embraced. The Blue Wahoos having a service dog put them in company with the Dallas Cowboys, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Chargers, among other major sports teams, that have similar partnerships with Canine Companions.

“Kathryn said, ‘I have a terrific project that I would love to partner with the Blue Wahoos on, We would love to have (Watson) be an influencer puppy and raise awareness about the Blue Wahoos and Canine Companions.’

“I was like, okay, we have never done this before, but it could be interesting. Could be something that aligns with our mission statement. From that moment, getting to know the project, getting to know Watson, getting to know Kathryn, it has just been so rewarding. Everybody on (Blue Wahoos) staff fell in love with Watson.”

Each time Daniel brought Watson to the stadium, the Blue Wahoos staff was quick to greet. Photos of the pup were a huge social media hit on the Blue Wahoos various accounts. The Blue Wahoos had a “Watson and Watson” Bobblehead Night on Sept. 16 with figures depicting Bubba Watson and the pup Watson.

Media relations director Daniel Venn created various new ways, new photo backdrops, to showcase Watson on Instagram and Twitter and the mission of Canine Companions. Blue Wahoos team owners Quint and Rishy Studer endorsed the idea of having a service-dog-in-training as part of the ballpark experience.

“It has been a tremendous partnership for us in spreading our mission of free service dogs to folks,” Daniel said. “The exposure, the publicity and goodwill that (Blue Wahoos staff) have extended to our family and Watson has been invaluable. More people know about Canine Companions and service dogs in general because (Blue Wahoos) highlight him so much. Even given him a bobblehead night.

“I have had so many people ask how to apply for our free service dogs. We’ve had people say they are going to sign up to be puppy raisers and lot of people are going to be puppy sitters

“I really want to thank the staff because they have been so helpful and supportive and really protective of him. Quint has been really welcoming to the whole concept. And Bubba Watson and his family have been so wonderful, enthusiastic supporters. The lending of Bubba’s name has been invaluable.”

When Kirby traveled earlier this year to Beloit, Wisconsin, home of the Beloit Sky Carp, the Miami Marlins’ High-A affiliate and co-owned by Blue Wahoos owners Quint and Rishy Studer, inquiring fans asked about Watson.

“One of them pulled me aside and said, ‘You are from Pensacola, right?’ They had been following the social media posts about Watson. They asked if the Sky Carp would be getting a dog like Watson and I just thought, wow, what an impact already in the early in the season he’s having.”

On Monday, Nov. 7, Watson will begin his next-level training in Orlando at the Southeast Regional Center. The pup will have a doggie roommate at the 32,000 square foot, four building “campus.” It will undergo a battery of health test to ensure there are no issues that may prevent Watson from continued a path toward being a service dog.

There will be a trainer working with eight-to-10 dogs in the same group. If all goes well, the process will be six to nine months, Daniel said, and Watson will be then formally paired with a person in need.

“It’s very emotional for us,” Kirby said. “We’ve become attached to him. Our fans have become attached to him. But we know the greater cause is to be companion for someone and Watson will be great.”