Kirk Herbstreit Addresses Critics of His ‘Irritating’ Dogs
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is defending his golden retrievers.
A social media user reacted to one of the college football announcer’s tweets, criticizing his dog on Sunday, March 22. Herbstreit, 56, owns four golden retrievers: Peter, Mitch, Theo, and Beau. During the college football season, he often travels with Peter, accompanying him while he commentates on the games.
“Your dog is annoying,” the troll commented via X.
Herbstreit promptly responded, “Thanks for the kind note. Have a great week!”
Many fans rallied to support Herbstreit and his dogs.
“Your dog is the greatest. People who don’t like Peter can kick rocks,” one user commented, while another stated, “Correction- your dog is magnificent.”
Herbstreit’s ESPN colleague Dan Orlovsky remarked, “He’s a good pup.”
Since 2023, Herbstreit has consistently brought a pup along during football season, starting the tradition with his service dog, Ben, until Ben passed away at age 10 in November 2024 after battling cancer.
“This is really hard to write, but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs, and there was nothing more we could do—we had to let him go,” Herbstreit shared via X at that time. “I’ve had dogs my whole life, but Ben was one on one. He was smart, loving, gentle, patient, inquisitive, and welcoming to all. Always a big smile and a soft tail wag.”
The sports broadcaster continued, “He and I could communicate … he and I understood each other and had each other’s backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveled with me for work. Such an easy-going companion. Hard day—but he will live within all of us forever. God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years—a true blessing. Love you, Ben. 🙏🏼.”
Following Ben’s passing, Herbstreit selected Peter as his new game-day companion. Peter made his first appearance with Herbstreit at an event in December 2024.
“Pete at Sofi for TNF,” he captioned a photo of Peter wearing a media badge while sitting on the field at a Los Angeles Chargers game. “First NFL field appearance for the kid.”
Peter has been by Herbstreit’s side ever since. He has shared their journey on social media as they navigate the football field, broadcasting booth, and more. Numerous teams have warmly welcomed Peter to their stadiums, showering him with custom jerseys, footballs, and more.
