Soccer Club Austin FC Will Have Adoptable Dogs As Mascots This Season (a Program We Can Definitely Support)
Jimena Panduro, Austin FC
With apologies to the rest of Major League Soccer, it's pretty clear which team has the best mascot(s): Austin FC.
The club, which begins its first season in the top flight of American soccer Saturday, has partnered with Austin Pets Alive! to feature an adoptable dog from the nonprofit as the team's honorary mascot for each 2021 home match.
Austin FC won't host a game at Q2 Stadium until June 19, but after that fans and potential pet parents will have 16 more MLS home games to potentially find their new fur baby. Austin Pets Alive! works to save pets who are at risk of euthanization, so the dogs appearing at this summer's matches might very well be on their way to a new life they almost didn't have.
"APA! has been fortunate enough to be a part of the Austin community for a little over a decade now," Dr. Ellen Jefferson, APA!'s president and CEO, said in a statement. "We've grown with this community and are excited to take a seat next to Austin FC and be a part of this new development in such a unique way! This is a really fun adventure to be on!"
We're proud to announce our partnership today with @AustinFC! Austin FC will showcase eligible dogs as honorary Austin FC mascots at Q2 Stadium in an effort to raise the profile of dog adoption throughout the region.
Full release: https://t.co/CmK0rGWgOW pic.twitter.com/GJ7GSqy5jD— Austin Pets Alive! (@austinpetsalive) April 6, 2021
According to the club and APA!, the mascot dogs will participate in pre-match activities as well as be featured on social media. Plus, we're sure they'll each be available for plenty of pics and pets at the stadium.
RELATED: Who Needs Humans? Meet Rookie and Dash, Bat Dogs for the Trenton Thunder
We'd love to show you which dogs will be featured at the games, but APA! hasn't picked the lucky dogs out yet because we're still weeks away from the home opener, says Colleen Ketchum with APA! With so many days still to go, it's possible the dogs chosen could be adopted before they head out onto the pitch.
But if you are interested in some Austin-area pups: Cuties Starlight and Fritz helped announce this new program earlier this month and are still awaiting adoption. Both have ears for days.
While we can't condone rooting for Austin FC on the pitch—sorry, already have a team—we sure hope this program is so successful that the team has to abandon it before the season ends because all the dogs have been adopted.
