WASHINGTON —
What do you get when you mix a World Series roster and adoptable dogs all in the same city? You get an official Nationals "line-pup."
In honor of the Nationals playing in the World Series, the Humane Rescue Alliance has named a group of dogs after various Nationals players to show their team spirit and also encourage adoption. The Humane Rescue Alliance was established in 2016 after the Washington Humane Society (WHS) and the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) merged together.
The Nationals dogs arrived at the HRA's 71 Oglethorpe St. location on Oct. 19 from the greater Birmingham area shelter. The shelter isn't just home to dogs, though -- they also host cats, reptiles, guinea pigs and other furry creatures.
Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg's wife saw a pup named after her husband on HRA's Instagram and loved it so much, she offered to cover the adoption fee to make sure the dog went to a forever home.
Fellow Nats pitcher Max Scherzer and his wife Erica have also been supporters of animal welfare organizations, sponsoring dogs with heterochromia -- the same eye condition Max has. In 2017, Scherzer covered the adoption fees of 125 animals affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The dogs have been adopted fast: As of Saturday two hours before Game 4, only Nationals dog Howie Kendrick remained, although there are around 30 other adorable dogs readily available. For Houston fans, there's even a 9-year-old dog named Astro.
Check out humanerescuealliance.org/adopt for more information on adoption and to see who is still available.
GALLERY: Here are the official photos of the 2019 "line-pup."
