Who is Chase Utley’s number one fan? His rescued dog, Jack! Most of Chase’s fans cheer him on for blasting home runs out of the ballpark or making great defensive plays, but Jack was given a second chance at life when the MLB All-Star adopted him from a local shelter.
Chase scores a grand slam for homeless dogs and cats by teaming up with PETA to urge people to always adopt from animal shelters and never patronize pet stores or breeders. Each year, 7 to 8 million dogs and cats are taken to animal shelters in the U.S., and half of them must be euthanized because of a lack of good homes. Chase wants all his fans to know that for every dog or cat who is purchased, a loving animal sitting in a shelter is robbed of his or her chance at finding a home.
“I realized there’s so many homeless animals [who] need love and need attention, it’s just better to adopt,” explains Chase. Chase and his wife, Jen, are no strangers to the fight to end cruelty to animals. They are active volunteers with the Pennsylvania SPCA and started Utley All-Star Animals, an annual event to help raise money and awareness in behalf of animals in desperate need.
“As a baseball player, there’s many nights where I come home and, you know, I’ve had a tough game, but seeing his face, it just kind of puts that behind you a little bit,” Chase says. Sounds like Chase is Jack’s number one fan too!
Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from Chase’s PETA photo shoot to see how rescuing a dog has affected his life.
