The San Francisco 49ers entered the postseason with the top seed in the NFC, home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and one secret weapon: The NFL’s first emotional support dog.
Zoe, a one-year-old French bulldog, has been with the 49ers throughout the season, and provides players, coaches and team staffers with some occasional affection.
The 49ers have not needed much emotional support this season, going 13-3 as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returned from a season-ending knee injury in 2018 to finish with career highs in touchdown passes (27) and passing yards (3,978).
Naturally Zoe has her own Instagram account that shows her interacting with 49ers players, past and present.
In one shot, Zoe can be seen snuggling with right tackle Mike McGlinchey’s dog, Shoobie, while other pics show her being held by Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, starting center Ben Garland, and Garoppolo himself, among others.
In another post, Zoe is seen at the wheel of the 49ers’ medical cart. The caption reads: ‘ALL GAS, NO BREAK!’
In other pics she’s seen wearing a tiny sombrero, stretching her back legs, playing with other dogs, and posing at her first birthday party.
‘Thanks to all my friends for the best first birthday ever!’ read the caption from ‘the49ersfrenchie’ account.
On Zoe’s Instagram stories, the small black dog shakes players’ hands and jumps for treats, but mostly lays around otherwise.
Some players are even seen holding up red T-shirts with Zoe’s face emblazoned across the front.
The 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday at 4:35pm ET. A win would return the team to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since Colin Kaepernick was San Francisco’s starting quarterback.
