Yesterday, Cubs twitter showed off some of the dogs of Chicago Cubs players. Apparently it was bring your pup to work day. And it was adorable.
It got me thinking of the time a Chicago Cub did something special for dogs:
In summer 2017, Albert Almora partnered with Paws Chicago to raise awareness for shelter dogs. After the death of their Pit Bull, Albert and his wife Krystal became motivated to give back to local communities by helping shelter dogs find homes. They launched the Intentional Walk campaign:
When the couple learned they were expecting a baby, they decided to adopt a dog as well. One bigger happy family! The Almora's support of Paws Chicago brings light to a big issue: helping shelter animals.
This is a cause near and dear to my heart. I love dogs. They provide such joy and love that is unmatched. Dogs are special, as a best friend to mankind. If you are a dog person, you get it.
That is why it is so sad to to see some of these figures from ASPCA:
-Every year 3.3 million dogs enter shelters (down from 3.9 in 2011)
-670,000 of these dogs will be euthanized
-1.6 million dogs are adopted each year.
My wife and I have adopted 3 dogs over the course of our marriage. And we always call them 3 of the best decisions we've ever made. We first adopted Thaddeus the yellow lab from one of my wife's friends in 2011. We had him until January 2018, when he sadly passed away from a heart condition. After a month of misery, we decided that we wanted to take the plunge again and adopt again.
A lot of people think that adopting a dog means you'll get stuck with someone else's problem, a challenging dog who's too old, and just not what you really want. That's a falsehood. In this day and age, they are many websites that allow you to screen out dogs by breed, gender, age, etc; allowing you to find a dog that's a perfect match for you. When it was time for us to adopt again, I had a list of wants
-younger dogs, but not puppies. Ideally a dog between 1-2 years of age
-Husky breed. I had always wanted a husky, because they are so beautiful.
-2 dogs as a bonded pair. With our empty home, we wanted to fill it with a second dog. We had the capability, and wanted to help keep a bonded pair happy. Plus then we could name them Bryant and RIzzo, and they could become the Bryzzo dogs.
I had to search petfinder for a month, cycling through many different dogs. Many jumped off the page, and tugged for my attention. Then I found a young gray husky named Nila. She was 10 months, and a cutie. As I read her description, I learned she had a bonded sister too! The sister was a black husky, and her name was...... Rizzo. RIZZO! It was meant to be. I contacted the shelter, and a week and a half later I met them for the first time. Nila ran up to me and nuzzled her head between my knees, and I was sold. We brought them home. Nila was renamed to Bryant. They had a challenging first couple of weeks, but have settled in. Here are some pictures of the furry babies:
They are highly energetic and social, and always causing some kind of fun commotion. Huskies are high energy, so they take me for runs every morning. Bryant has become the world's biggest cuddler, always laying on us and getting jealous every time my wife and I hug. Rizzo is a sass mouth, and constantly playful. The two of them together, let's just say there is never a dull moment. I constantly post pictures and videos of them, so you'll just have to follow me on the twitter to see more! We hit the jackpot with our shelter dogs.
Our shelter dog story was such a rousing success, I encourage you to look at shelter animals too. Give it a little time, and you'll find your best friend, waiting to come home with you. If it's good enough for both myself and the Almora family, it's good for you too!