NFL player adopts pet by asking shelter staff to give him their "not-so-adoptable" dog
A big man with a soft heart for animals.
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Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley sure has a soft spot in his heart for animals, particularly dogs. He’s proven this time and time again with his charity campaigns, foundations, and participation in fundraising activities – all for animal welfare.
One of his remarkable deeds was back in 2016 when he decided to adopt a dog. He, his teammate Alexander Lewis, and his girlfriend Emily drove their way to Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, also known as BARCS Animal Shelter.
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Upon arriving at the animal shelter, Stanley asked the staff to give him something specific.
“We are looking for a dog that’s been here a long time and maybe not-so-adoptable,” he said.
BARCS Animal Shelter’s matchmakers were more than happy to oblige Stanley’s request. Usually, the term “not-so-adoptable” means dogs that are old, sick, with physical deformities, or those who are in and out of the vet clinic. The shelter’s staff then showed the potential owner the dogs that met his requirement.
Soon after, he decided to bring home a then 6-year-old dog named Winter.
BARCS Animal Shelter posted a heartwarming photo of Stanley cuddling with Winter and alongside it, they wrote:
“Beautiful Winter is a dog who has spent most of her six years of life falling into sad, unfortunate situations. She was found on a vacant property, on a hot day with no electricity, or open windows. She was dehydrated and extremely frightened. Winter has a long, hanging belly, mostly likely a result of over breeding–something we see far too often at our shelter. Due to her age, her belly is not something that will ever tighten up. Female dogs with such characteristics are often passed by in our shelter–but not by Ronnie!”
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They also added that:
“Ronnie’s thought on Winter’s belly, as recalled by our volunteers: “Well, that’s just what happens when you’ve had babies.” He was much more interested in getting lots of face kisses from Winter and falling in love, rather than being worried about the appearance of her tummy. What a great guy!”
Stanley gave Winter a new name – Lola.
She’s the new queen in town and the perfect furry companion since the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle just moved into the city after playing for Notre Dame in college.
It’s a whole lot new of adventure for Lola ever since she was adopted by Stanley. From running wild and free in the backyard and napping anywhere she wanted, the newly adopted doggo couldn’t be happier by being picked by the kind football player.
Turns out, that wasn’t Stanley’s first and last time interaction with the shelter. He ended up adopting another dog named Zappa. He also participated in BARCS’ fundraising campaign and kept coming back to the shelter to show his support for rehoming all the adorable animals in the shelter.
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What a guy! A touchdown for him indeed in promoting dog adoption and for being an advocate of animal welfare in his community. Hopefully, those who idolize him in his sport would also follow in his footsteps of being an animal lover.
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