As a kid, I’d walk through animal shelters, and a million questions would pop into my head. “Does anybody walk these dogs?” “Are these dogs lonely?” “Is there someone that regularly plays with these animals?” “How much human interaction do these animals get daily?” It’d make me sad just thinking about these inquiries because I knew the answers probably weren’t what I expected.
But recently, the St. Joseph High School’s cross country team found a great solution. The team members started visiting the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter each morning to pick up dogs to take along their morning runs. That way, the sheltered canines could get out, get a fresh breath of air, and get some exercise while getting their daily dose of socialization with humans.
“It was great. The kids loved it. The dogs loved it,” said Coach Luis Escobar. I mean, at first, the kids were not too sure, but once we got there, and they saw the dogs, and the dogs were just going nuts, it was fantastic.”
In fact, after each run, Escobar was always unsure who had more fun: the canines or the students! I think they both equally had a blast.
Since going public about the team’s collaboration with the local animal shelter, the coach says that many other schools have reached out asking how they could do something similar. Escobar is glad that the St. Joseph’s cross country team is able to inspire others to do good in their community as well.
“The final point is, I just want to come here and tell you that this was just a small, tiny, organic, nice gesture of kindness, and it’s resonated with people all across the country,” Escobar candidly shared.
What is more, the coach shared that most of the dogs that were filmed running with his students in a video that was later posted online ended up getting adopted. Even one of Escobar’s team members, Josh, adopted one of the canines!
There’s certainly a lesson to be learned here. If Escobar and his team can engage in a small yet meaningful act, then so can all of us. There are millions of things we can do to bring joy to others’ lives and make an impact on our world. It all starts with a decision to be the change.
Escobar is an inspiring man. Listen to Coach Luis Escobar speak with Rachael Ray in an interview below!
