While the Chargers are selecting players in the NFL Draft on Saturday, April 30, you'll have the chance to draft a new furry friend for yourself.
Put on in conjunction with Second Chance Dog Rescue, the first-ever Chargers Dog Draft presented by Petco will take place at 9am at Qualcomm Stadium in Section O-1. Along with fun raffles, Second Chance will be bringing roughly 20 dogs to the Q that will be able to be adopted and go home that day.
"I am a proud pet owner along with many of our players, coaches and staff, and there are many Chargers fans who are passionate about animals and dogs in particular," said John Spanos, President-Football Operations for the Chargers. "We thought this was a great opportunity allow Chargers fans to draft a new pet into their family at the same time we'll be drafting new players into ours."
"I think it's really awesome that the Chargers went out of their way to support a community-related cause," said Megan Steele, President of Second Chance Dog Rescue. "Because the Chargers have such an influence in San Diego, them teaming up with us is just helping spread awareness about dog rescue, adoptions, spaying, neutering and everything (Second Chance) is all about."
Second Chance Dog Rescue is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to saving homeless dogs by rescuing them from Southern California and Mexico. They provide all necessary medical care for the animal including spaying or neutering, getting the dog up to date on shots and any other important rehabilitation if needed. Dogs are then housed through foster families until they are ready to be adopted.
"We don't have a shelter, so we have (about 100) private foster homes throughout the county," added Steele. "So all the dogs go into foster care so they aren't in a cage; they're in the home. The benefit for the community is people get to know what the dogs are like in regular life."
According to Steele, thousands of dogs die every year mainly due to overpopulation. By "drafting" your very own dog on April 30, you're not only taking home a new member for your team, you're saving its life.
If you aren't ready to fully commit to taking a dog home for the long-term on the 30, fostering options are also available.
"If you're on the fence about adopting, I do always encourage people to foster," mentioned Steele. "You get to house a dog and 'test it out' before the full commitment. It also allows people to see what the best dog is for them."
For more information on the event and how you can get involved including links to Second Chance's adoption and fostering forms, please visit: http://www.chargers.com/dogdraft
Note: Not all dogs pictured below may be available for adoption on April 30.
Some of the amazing dogs Second Chance Dog Rescue has rescued. Note: Not all dogs pictured may be available for adoption on April 30.
