NEW ORLEANS -- Raising Cane's has a new mascot, and the yellow lab puppy made his grand debut at Louisiana's Washington Mardi Gras.
Todd Graves, the Louisiana-headquartered restaurant chain's founder and chief executive, officially announced the arrival of Raising Cane III in a press release Monday.
The third in the line of Cane's pups replaced Raising Cane II, a beloved certified pet therapy dog who died in 2016 at the age of 16.
Cane II was a fixture at events and served as a nationally certified pet therapy dog who along with Todd Graves' wife Gwen Graves spent years visiting patients at hospitals throughout the country.
Cane III is 9 weeks old.
“While it is our hope that she can continue the legacy of our beloved Cane II as a certified pet therapy dog, it’s too soon to know if that’s possible,” Todd Graves said. “This is an exciting day for my family and all of us at Raising Cane’s, and we can’t wait for the community to meet her.”
Graves, who was this year's king of the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians' Washington Mardi Gras, introduced Cane III Saturday night.
Cane III will live at the Graves family home in Baton Rouge.
In 1996, Graves named his chicken finger restaurant after his yellow Labrador Retriever Raising Cane. More than 20 years later, the iconic image of Cane I wearing sunglasses welcomes customers to more than 360 restaurants across 23 states and five countries.
Raising Cane's has also invested in six dog parks in Louisiana.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1
