EDMONTON - Edmonton Eskimos wide receiver Tevaun Smith is hoping to score a victory for up to six dogs that need a home.
For the month of November, Smith says he’ll cover adoption fees for the five dogs that have been at Humane Animal Rescue Team the longest, as well as a bonus sixth dog.
“I always had a love for dogs, so when I came here it was something that I thought about through the entire season,” Smith told reporters on Wednesday.
Possible pet parents will have to put down the adoption cost as a deposit, and if they pass the adoption screening on one of the five dogs that have been in the shelter the longest, the money will be refunded.
“Whichever one of those five dogs people decide to take; I’ll cover the cost for it.”
“If I could [take home all five dogs] I would, but my house isn’t big enough, so hopefully someone will take the time and go through the screening process and bring one of these dogs home.”
Smith is a dog owner himself. He and his girlfriend share a Pitbull named Lady, who lives with his girlfriend in the States during football season.
“She did come out here, and she got to see Banff, so my dog is worldwide now,” he told reporters.
Smith says he hopes the donation of adoption costs will help ease some of the stigma around Pitbulls.
“There are a couple of Pitbulls in there that need a home, and they’re very good dogs. “
“I was just trying to promote that these dogs are not bad, they’re actually great family dogs. “
HART is a non-profit organization that rescues stray and abandoned dogs from rural areas in Alberta and places them in permanent homes.
