Ozuna’s Redemption Ranch: Braves Slugger Builds Dog Haven in Dominican Roots
By David O’Brien, Braves Beat Writer, The Athletic Atlanta, GA – September 22, 2025
The roar of Truist Park can shake the foundations of a stadium, but Marcell Ozuna’s latest swing is reverberating in quieter corners – a dusty ranch road in rural Santo Domingo, where the Dominican Republic’s sun-baked hills meet the sea. The Atlanta Braves’ burly designated hitter, whose 40th home run this season cleared the left-field seats last Sunday, has quietly poured millions into a sprawling 50-acre spread he’s dubbed “Paw Palace.” It’s no vanity project. This is home for 52 rescued dogs – strays scooped from Caracas alleys, Miami dumps and Santo Domingo streets – now romping in fenced paddocks, learning tricks from Ozuna himself and waiting for forever homes. Teammates got the full tour via FaceTime last week, jaws dropping as Ozuna, in faded jeans and a Braves cap, wrestled a rambunctious Rottweiler mix named Tito. “This is family,” he grinned, sweat beading on his brow. “Bigger than any lineup.”
Ozuna’s arc has been anything but linear. The 34-year-old Dominican powerhouse, who defected from the Marlins in 2012 and mashed 37 homers in his ’19 Braves breakout, has been a lightning rod. Off-field shadows – a 2018 DUI arrest in Atlanta that led to a suspension, followed by domestic violence charges dropped after counseling – cast long doubts over his clubhouse standing. He bounced back with a .314 average in the pandemic-shortened ’20, but whispers lingered, especially after a slow ’22 start that fueled trade rumors. This year, though, Ozuna’s reinvented: .280 clip, 102 RBI, and a cannon arm that’s nixed 12 runners at the plate. Manager Brian Snitker calls him “the heart of the order – on and off.” Now, with the Braves at 92-66 and eyeing an NLDS bye, Ozuna’s ranch reveal feels like the ultimate at-bat: a grand slam for second chances.
The seeds were planted in his childhood. Growing up in Santo Domingo’s La Vega province, Ozuna scavenged for food and played stickball with whatever scraps he could find. Stray dogs were everywhere – mangy packs scavenging the same trash heaps as kids like him. “They’d follow me home, loyal like brothers,” he said in a rare sit-down at the ranch, a converted coffee plantation now dotted with agility courses and a vet clinic. The turning point came during a 2023 offseason trip, when he pulled a starving mutt from a Caracas gutter. “Looked at me like I was his last shot,” Ozuna recalled. That pup, now a therapy dog named Luna, sparked the vision. He sunk $4.2 million – a slice of his $65 million contract – into the land, hiring local vets and trainers from the DR’s animal welfare scene. No glitz: Solar panels power the kennels, rainwater feeds the troughs, and Ozuna flies in monthly for “dad duty,” grooming furballs between batting practice flights.
Word spread organically. Braves social media lit up with videos of Ozuna bottle-feeding puppies, captioned “Slugger by day, savior by night.” Fans, a mix of die-hards and skeptics scarred by his past, flooded comments: “Redemption looks good on you, Marcell.” Atlanta’s animal lovers mobilized – the Humane Society of Cobb County partnered for rehoming events, shipping 18 pups stateside last month. Even Freddie Freeman, Ozuna’s ex-teammate now with the Dodgers, reposted a clip: “This is the Marcell I knew. Pure heart.” Critics, though, aren’t sold. Online forums buzz with “PR ploy?” threads, dredging up the ’18 headlines as proof of performative goodwill. “Nice dogs, but what about the people he hurt?” one X user sniped. Ozuna, unfazed, addresses it head-on in a ranch-side interview, the Caribbean breeze rustling palm fronds. “I messed up. Owned it, fixed it. These dogs don’t judge – they just wag. That’s the lesson.”
The impact ripples beyond the fences. In a country where 70 percent of dogs roam as strays per Humane Society International, Ozuna’s haven is a beacon. Local kids volunteer, learning responsibility through walks and feedings, while the ranch doubles as a community hub – free clinics for rural pets, English classes in the barn. It’s Ozuna’s way of stitching his worlds: The power-hitting immigrant who crossed borders for baseball now bridges gaps for the voiceless. Teammates like Ozzie Albies, fresh off his own kindness crusade, pledged matching funds: “Marcell’s showing us legacy ain’t just stats.” As October looms – the Braves host the Padres in a wild-card teaser – Ozuna’s bat stays hot, but his heart’s in Santo Domingo. “Baseball ends,” he shrugged, tossing a tennis ball to a border collie blur. “This? This lasts.”
In Atlanta, where the Chop echoes eternal, Ozuna’s story tugs harder than any rally towel. It’s not erasure of the past, but evolution – a slugger trading glory for growls, building a pack that outlives the playoffs. Paw Palace isn’t just a ranch; it’s redemption with four legs, proving the diamond’s real MVPs wag their tails off the field.
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