Maple Donates $1 million to Local Animal Shelters

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Vancouver Wolves' forward Dogwood Maple has again turned to a charity near and dear to his heart.

 

"I'm a dog person, anybody who knows me knows that.  My wife and I have a rescue dog at home and it just breaks my heart to see so many dogs in the shelters around here.  The worst part is that a lot of them could go to good homes but people sometimes just don't know about the dire situation these shelters are in.  These places aren't making big bucks, they're barely surviving.  And they have so many dogs to take care of that it can start to take its toll on everybody who works there.  That's why I've decided to donate $1 million to each of the four main shelters in Vancouver to help with costs and to use as part of an advertising campaign so the public knows what's going on.  Plus, all adoption fees for the next 12 months are fully covered," Maple explained.

The executive director of one of the shelters couldn't thank Maple enough.

 

"Dogwood comes by often just to drop off dog food or say hello to some of the dogs, so we know him pretty well.  But when he stopped by yesterday to tell us about the million dollars, we were all in shock.  We thought it was a joke or something at first, but I could look in his eyes and tell he was being serious," said Spike McTails.

When asked what sort of impact this would have, McTails didn't hold back.

 

"It means we can afford to give all of these dogs the proper care, veterinary treatment, and comfortable lives while they're waiting to be adopted. And we can do all that without having to stress about whether or not we can make payroll or whether or not we have to cut back on our overhead.  It's life changing, not just for these animals but for all of us involved with the various shelters around here."

 

An additional part of this campaign is to host adoption days at the Vancouver Arena.  On certain off-days this year, the shelters will bring some of their dogs and set up right inside the facility, which will be open to the public.  Organizers explained that the arena's great downtown location, combined with the strong fan support that the team has here will result in numerous adoptions.

 

"I got my dog last year from the Vancouver shelter so it holds a special place in my heart," said 19 year old Kay Nine.  "To see what this money will do to help not just that shelter but all of them around here is incredible.  I wasn't a huge hockey fan before this, but now I'm going to have to start going to Wolves games.  The fact that the organization is doing this shows their priorities and it's something I'll always remember."

 

The Vancouver front office agreed to match the $1 million that Dogwood is giving to each shelter and has even begun a version of "bark in the park" where ticket holders can bring their dogs with them to Wolves games.

 

"We're excited to partner with Dogwood in this venture and look forward to seeing some smiling faces and wagging tails in the arena," said Vancouver's owner. "This city has done so many great things for us that we want to give back and show our appreciation."
 

[Frank 5,260]

Maple's a good guy on and off the ice.