Joey Votto tells adorable story about his baseball-chewing dog after earning milestone hit

Disclaimer: You may want to grab a box of tissues for this one.

Canadian Joey Votto celebrated his 2,000^th hit on Monday, becoming just the second Canadian to do so behind Larry Walker (2,160 career hits). Following the game, Votto was asked about hitting number 2,000, and Toronto native took the opportunity to tell a story about his dog, Maris, who passed away last year.

Votto was careful to clarify that he treated his dog right and would not have wanted to endanger his health, but also explained how much Maris loved chewing on the baseball from his first career hit.

Have to say, it’s pretty heartwarming that Votto puts his dog’s happiness above the desire to hold onto milestones. That’s a great dog dad in our books!

(H/T Cincinnati Reds)