Ed Note: This post appears courtesy The Hall of Very Good.
Remember back in August when the El Paso Chihuahuas donned, what seemed to be at the time, some ridiculous, yet unique, jerseys?
Well, it turns out that the team’s Bark in the Park night was more than just an award-winning publicity stunt. In the months since the event, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres has helped raise more than $20,000 for the Humane Society of El Paso.
And then, there was this.
Yup, that’s ESPN’s Keith Olbermann wearing one of the Chihuahua’s headline-grabbing jerseys. Turns out, the anchor, who has been known at times to have a somewhat prickly personality, has a soft spot for animals.
Particularly dogs.
First, he made arrangements to purchase one of the Chihuahuas jerseys knowing all the proceeds went to charity. Next, after a Twitter recommendation, he sought out From the Heart Rescue, a suburban El Paso animal shelter that takes in injured dogs that require extra care, and made that generous donation.
“So I wound up giving most of the charitable donation for the uniform to From the Heart,”Olbermann told the El Paso Times. “Just looking at the website, I was overwhelmed by the stories.”
“[Olbermann’s] donation has truly been lifesaving to a number of dogs,” From the Heart’s founder Brandy Gardes added, “and it will continue to be.”
Cool, right? Here’s where it gets awesome.
The money Olbermann donated helped Chia, an immobile chihuahua puppy (her back legs are inoperational) get the help she needed to get up and moving with the aid of a specially designed lightweight cart.
“Thanks to the donation from Keith, we were able to negotiate with K9 Carts to build a cart small enough for her,” Gardes said. “It’s just been fabulous. She plays. She’s a normal dog when she’s in her cart.”
“Dogs like her, if they don’t get into a cart, they become deformed over time… developing sores or a curved spine,” K9 Carts General Manager Glenn Parkes added. “By getting them into a cart, it gives them a normal standing posture. They can run around and go to the bathroom.”
Hold on. It keeps getting better.
In mid-October, Chia received her wheelchair, gained some fans via From the Heart’s Facebook page and then, you guessed it, was adopted and found herself a new home. All because Keith Olbermann liked a minor league baseball team’s special Bark at the Park uniforms.
Pretty. Awesome.
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