Dogs are unbelievably amazing creatures that give their all just to get people’s attention, love, and care. But sadly, despite all the wonderful things that they are, many of them live on the streets all around the world.
Fortunately, some people understand that these fuzzy creatures shouldn’t be taken for granted and, more importantly, need our help. That’s why, just a few days ago, this one football club decided to raise awareness and make a little change to their pre-game walkout, each taking a dog with them to the field. Scroll down to learn all about it!
Many dogs in Spain end up on the street every year, and various people and organizations are joining initiatives that can help them find homes
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
Before their recent game, Espanyol football team’s players walked out accompanied by stray dogs to help raise awareness of this issue
The football match between the Espanyol and Mallorca clubs of the Spanish league La Liga, which took place last Saturday, saw a slightly unusual, yet absolutely heartwarming spectacle made by one of the participating teams.
During the pre-game, when players usually walk out onto the court and line up to sing the national anthem and pose for the media before the match, Espanyol footballers decided to use this moment for a very kindhearted goal. Coming out, they each brought a stray dog, hoping to raise dog abandonment awareness.
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
The club has participated in the initiative for the second year in a row, encouraging their fans to adopt these cute dogs and donate food and blankets to the shelters
“With this action, the club wants to impact society again and help raise awareness of this problem,” shared Espanyol in a public statement while also encouraging fans to donate canned food and blankets.
The team was actually taking part in a campaign called “Los Pericos No Abandonado!” which directly translates to “The Parakeets Don’t Abandon!” and aims to help these abandoned cuties find new and loving homes.
Although last year, the number of dogs rescued from the street was only 11, it attracted a lot of generosity from people, which resulted in over 2,000 kilograms of food and material donations.
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
Some players also adopted dogs themselves, with one of them having brought his friend along to a press conference just a few weeks earlier
Some of Espanyol’s players also took individual actions to help these poor animals. For example, earlier this month, Pol Lozano came to a press conference accompanied by his 5-month-old dog, who he rescued from the street when he was no older than a month.
“We found him abandoned in some rubbish with his brothers. My best friend was left with a brother of his who is just like him, but brown. I got this one. It’s one of the best things that has happened to me in life,” shared the man, making sure to mention how important it is to bring people’s attention to this problem.
Image credits: Realidad (Facebook)
Image credits: Realidad (Facebook)
Over 200,000 dogs are abandoned by their owners in Spain every year. But while this may sound bad, according to Şenhan Bolelli of Anadolu Agency, the good news is that this situation is slowly but steadily improving.
Thanks to various initiatives, the social awareness about animal rights and the responsibilities of owners is increasing. Thus, more financial resources are finally being allocated to deal with this issue.
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
Thanks to these initiatives, the stray animal situation in Spain is improving, but there is still a long way to go, and spreading the word as well as helping out is strongly encouraged
The country adopted its first animal welfare law just last year, which increases social responsibility and control when it comes to animal ownership. Now, people who abandon their pets can face fines of up to €200,000 or, in extreme ill-treatment cases, may even be imprisoned for up to 18 months.
Additionally, both dogs and cats have to be microchipped, while illegally bred animals also have to be sterilized. At the same time, all the municipalities are responsible for building shelters and collecting stray animals whenever notified so that they don’t remain on the streets.
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
Of course, due to the high number of abandoned pets, shelters are often overcrowded and lacking resources. That’s where various initiatives like Los Pericos No Abandonado and organizations like Spanish Happy Tails come into play.
The latter is a volunteer-run UK-based rescue that is dedicated to connecting Spanish strays with loving families in the UK that can provide them with a home.
For those who can’t or don’t want to adopt a dog but care for these poor animals, the rescue also shares advice on how to help raise awareness and make sure that all of these tail-waggling cuties eventually find their place.
Image credits: LaLiga (X)
In the end, dogs are extremely pure animals who don’t care whether you’re a famous football player, a journalist, a politician, a cashier, or anyone else. All they want is your love, care, and perhaps some tasty treats. It’s incredibly sad that so many of them don’t get a chance to enjoy all that, but hopefully, with initiatives like that, soon this will be a thing of the past.
What did you think about this story? Have you ever adopted a stray dog? Share it all in the comments below!
The commenters loved seeing such a lovely gesture and thanked the footballers for doing this
