Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

I really should read my own blog.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

This fight is for everything.

When we show up, we win.

How stupid are these people?

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Bark louder, little dog.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

The lights are all blinking red.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Pet Rescue / Here’s An Athlete You Can Like

Here’s An Athlete You Can Like

by | 117 Comments

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I have a new hockey player to watch:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — David Backes went to Sochi hoping to bring home a gold medal with the U.S. hockey team. Instead, the St. Louis Blues’ captain brought back a couple of stray puppies.

Backes and his wife, Kelly, rescued the dogs from the streets of the Olympic city with members of the Canadian team’s entourage. Now in quarantine in St. Louis, the dogs will eventually be given to good homes.

***

Backes and his wife, who have four rescue dogs and two rescue cats in their home and set up their own foundation, Athletes for Animals, last November, received helped from Canadian winger Jeff Carter’s girlfriend, Megan Keffer, and defenseman Drew Doughty’s girlfriend, Nicole Arruda, and others. The 3- to- 4-month-old pups, named Sochi Junior and Sochi Jake, were brought back to the U.S. on an Air Atlas charter to Newark and another flight to St. Louis.

“They fought for their lives every day on the street and now they’re laying on our laps in flights across the Atlantic,” Backes said.

As they say, read the whole thing, as it is a really sweet story amidst another day of nonsense.

Reader Interactions

117Comments

  1. 1.

    Bargal20

    And exactly how much did it cost to transport and quarantine two puppies? What a stupid waste of resources. Why not donate that money to animal shelters in Sochi and adopt a couple of St Louis strays?

  3. 3.

    kc

    Gus Kenworthy and Lindsey Jacobellis also adopted puppies. Freakin’ ADORABLE puppies. Kenworthy is bringing a whole litter home.

  5. 5.

    Libby's person

    These Sochi dog stories are heartwarming, but I’m torn. It’s a very nice gesture (and statement), but I keep thinking about all the great dogs in the US who are desperate for homes. All the money and effort getting the Sochi dogs to the US could have saved a lot more dogs from euthanasia here. On the other hand, it might have made at least some people consider adopting a rescue.

  8. 8.

    Gex

    You guys, they do put efforts forth towards rescue here. The block quote notes that they have rescue animals and have a foundation. They were also already going to fly back from Sochi, I assume, so the marginal cost of bringing the dogs back can’t have been that much. Two minutes ago if you’d said he had 6 rescue animals and a foundation that works for animal welfare you would have been happy to hear that. Now it’s not enough, why won’t he do more here instead of wasting efforts on these dogs?

  9. 9.

    Violet

    That snowboarder guy did the same thing. The great thing about these athletes doing this is it highlights the issue in Russia and also in home countries–animals needing help. That’s a positive, even if it uses more resources than just adopting an animal in their hometown. How many people would be aware of animals needing help if these athletes just went down to their shelter and adopted a pet? Not nearly as many.

  12. 12.

    NotMax

    There’s such a shortage that rescue animals must be imported?

    Frankly, if he’d brought them back as pets for his own home/family I’d be much more impressed*. As it is, strikes me as much more a publicity stunt.

    /curmudgeon

    *Using whatever celebrity he may have as an advocate for a spay and neuter program for Sochi would be even more impressive.

  13. 13.

    Mnemosyne

    @Bargal20:

    Why not donate that money to animal shelters in Sochi and adopt a couple of St Louis strays?

    You mean in addition to the four rescue dogs they already have and the foundation they already set up to help local animals?

    Jaysus, you people are never satisfied. Sure, they’re already doing a lot for local animals, but they should do even more rather than doing things for animals from other cities!

  14. 14.

    Gex

    @Ayn Randy: I removed the last line just because I don’t want to invite any more negative responses than I’m going to get already, given that the these criticism are so far a pretty popular response here. So yeah, what you said.

  15. 15.

    Gex

    @Mnemosyne: What they already do here is probably way more than what this whole blog manages to do together. But that isn’t good enough. And when these particular puppies in Sochi melted their hearts they should have just left them there to die, because something something.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    Since a lot of people seem to have skimmed the quoted parts:

    Backes and his wife, who have four rescue dogs and two rescue cats in their home and set up their own foundation, Athletes for Animals, last November, received helped from Canadian winger Jeff Carter’s girlfriend, Megan Keffer, and defenseman Drew Doughty’s girlfriend, Nicole Arruda, and others.

    They’re already doing what you say they should be doing. So your complaint is that they’re also doing extra?

  19. 19.

    Ayn Randy

    @Gex: I understand. Mostly, I just feel bad for people who are so miserable that they hear a nice story about saving some stray dogs and immediately come up with the most asshole statement possible.

  22. 22.

    jl

    @the Conster: Too much reality about evolving social attitudes, like NFL making noises it might not want superbowl in AZ, tends to push all sorts of people you wouldn’t expect towards reality based arguments.

    @Gin & Tonic: thanks for the two word version. What G and T said.

  24. 24.

    JPL

    Since I’m not fond of the wingnuts in AZ, I had hoped that the Governor would sign the bill. Rumor has it that the NFL was looking for an alternative site for next year’s super bowl.

  26. 26.

    JPL

    Brian Williams had a segment on the news about dogs not feeling shame. They are simply reacting to voices. Phooey to whoever did that study. Goldens definitely feel shame. My new mutt Mr. Finch, not so much but with a nickname of devil dog, what can I expect.

  27. 27.

    jl

    I was bugged by anti equal rights activists for awhile. I think because when I first ran into these people wanting signatures on petitions and money in CA, and they asked me if I was in favor of ‘special rights’ for gays, I said that, no, I was not in favor of ‘special rights’ for gays.

    Thing was, after they read through their parade of horribles, like equal rights to contract (civil unions and marriage) or right not to be fired for merely being gay, I told them that IMHO they had a problem because they didn’t mention any ‘special rights’ for gays at all, so I would not sign whatever petition or give them any money.

    Edit: I guess my initial response got me on some sort of target list.

    I hope these bigots get over it and move on soon. I don’t want to think about what bigotry they will move on to next, so I guess I just hope they give up.

  28. 28.

    Mnemosyne

    @the Conster:

    Not that surprised. The teabaggers have been pissing her off, and I think she was glad to have a chance to poke at them.

    Plus, for all its red state-ness, Arizona does have a Western state libertarian streak where they don’t really think the government should be dictating morals to citizens. They’ve had a medical marijuana statute since 2010.

  29. 29.

    Anoniminous

    @JPL:

    Whoo! Whoo! Good news.

    Now if the GOP will slip into a nice little bruising faction fight ahead of the elections …

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    Note how Brewer was most careful to describe the bill as “overly broad.” Not as “wrong” or “unconstitutional” or even “discriminatory.”

    Nudge nudge, wink, wink to the legislature for a do-over.

  33. 33.

    Chris T.

    received helped from Canadian winger Jeff Carter’s girlfriend

    I’ve heard of left-wingers and right-wingers. Are these north-wingers? Maybe up-wingers? Are there south/down/Mexican-wingers?

    </silly>

  34. 34.

    piratedan

    regarding the Veto of the Bill in AZ, the right thing for all of the properly calculated political reasons… I’ll take it.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    Here’s the pre-veto story from the Arizona Republic (which is the Phoenix area paper). This was NOT a controversial decision for Brewer — of the 6 Republicans currently vying to run for governor, 5 of them said they would veto.

  39. 39.

    jl

    Thanks to Cole for the heartwarming puppy story. And Cole better listen up to my response to JPL, because THIS… IS…. HUGE!

    @JPL:

    ” Brian Williams had a segment on the news about dogs not feeling shame. They are simply reacting to voices. ”

    We all may know the truth soon:

    Talking Dog Device Ready to Hit Market Soon
    By LIZ FIELDS, Good Morning America, 7 hours ago

    ” The Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery is the brains behind “No More Woof”, technology that aims to distinguish canine thought patterns and then issue them as short sentences via a microphone. ”

    …

    ” The operating system relies on sensors in the headset which detect electric signals in the dog’s brainwaves. Technology from an in-built processing device then analyses the signal patterns and deciphers them into distinct feelings like anger, curiosity or tiredness.

    Sample sentences such as “I’m hungry, but I don’t like this!” or “I’m curious who that is?” will be programmed into the device and emitted through a loudspeaker. ”

    http://gma.yahoo.com/talking-dog-device-ready-hit-market-soon-163302793–abc-news-topstories.html

  41. 41.

    Calouste

    @NotMax:

    It might be used against Christians, that was never the intention! Also, maybe she just wants to delay until the NFL has committed to hold the Super Bowl in AZ.

  43. 43.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    @Gin & Tonic:

    While I think this bill is toxic, I think it is utterly stupid to believe that businesses are going to turn away cash paying customers because of their religious beliefs. Not Going To Happen. Any small business owner, caterer, cake maker, restaurant owner, is struggling right now, the very idea that they are going to turn away gay couples with cash in their pockets is beyond stupid.

    Like I said the bill is stupid, and should be vetoed, but the idea that any business owner would turn away a customer for any reason is utterly insane. If a gay couple with 10 grand to spend on a wedding shows up at a small business owners door there is no way the business owner is going to turn them away.

    I know there have been a couple of morons who bake cakes refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple, I am sure there are half a dozen other cake bakers in the area that are more than happy to take the gay couple’s money.

    This is akin to a lawyer refusing to take a case because they suspect their client might actually be guilty.

  45. 45.

    jl

    @NotMax: No, I think the ‘overly broad’ phrase is just very thin political cover to provide a decent interval to pretend to think about making it less broad, and then letting the idea just go away.

    The corporations, and the NFL, currently making unpleasant money noises will not be happy if a bill that more narrowly targets gays passes later. And for general folks, attempts to describe exactly what constitutes a legal basis for bigotry will just highlight the very unChristian (in the more sensible broad sense) these supposedly Christian religious liberty bills actually are (actually they are BS social bigotry and very narrow sectarian Xtianist pandering)

  46. 46.

    Gex

    @NotMax: Well if reports were right and this was written to be overly broad as an extension of Citizens United, we kind of win if they have to narrow it somewhat. And the outcry was over the most narrow reading of the bill, which was the right to refuse to serve gays, so hopefully another attempt would lead to the same sort of outcry.

    The fact of the matter is that big business was pretty solidly on our side on this and that isn’t going to change. I feel pretty good that the chances a rewrite would have of becoming law are pretty poor. Or at least I hope that.

  48. 48.

    max

    And exactly how much did it cost to transport and quarantine two puppies?

    Kenneling plus the flight costs for the flight they were going to take already.

    What a stupid waste of resources.

    “Afterwards, Backes refused to clean off his plate because children are starving in Ethiopia India North Korea.”

    Why not donate that money to animal shelters in Sochi and adopt a couple of St Louis strays?

    So then they would have kenneled two different dogs, and they still would have flown back on the plane. I mean, I suppose they could have bought a hundred pounds of souvenirs from Sochi, and then nobody would have written a story and you wouldn’t have gotten upset.

    max
    [‘There are too many strays for the number of people adopting. Adopt there, still too many strays. Adopt here, still too many strays.’]

  49. 49.

    Calouste

    @Litlebritdiftrnt:

    Forgoing money never stopped business owners in the South from not serving Blacks.

    In the end, we’re talking about people who in each and every election vote for their bigotry over their economic interests.

  50. 50.

    Lyrebird

    @Violet: The other thing it does is provides lots of pictures of handsome young men doing more worthwhile things than that Bieber boy usually occupies his time with. YAY!

  51. 51.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    @max:

    Agree with you. The fact is that by adopting puppies from Russia has resulted in a huge media blitz about it, which raises awareness to people who might think about adopting a dog here. It also raises awareness about his charity, which again encourages people to adopt a dog here. It also raises awareness as to the importance of spay/neuter programs to cut down on the amount of dogs that are being born and therefore need homes.

    I cannot see anything but good about this story. ANYTHING that raises awareness about the whole problem is good.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @Calouste:

    Forgoing money never stopped business owners in the South from not serving Blacks.

    Somebody pointed out the other day that, under many of the Jim Crow laws, it was actually illegal to have equal accommodations for blacks and whites. If you tried to do it, the government could shut you down for breaking the law.

    So while much of it was social pressure and social custom, there were also laws in place to prevent desegregated facilities from existing.

  54. 54.

    jl

    @efgoldman: I realize that hope is not a plan, nor a prediction, yet I do hope. Because, so little will change in terms of important things in life.

    Even in the South. I read it actually has the highest proportion of gay and lesbian households raising children in the country, it is just informal now. So, it may slowly dawn on the bigots that human nature has remained the same for many many years, and The Other has walked among them all this time. Just have to treat them fairly now.

    Maybe most will come to their senses.

  56. 56.

    beltane

    @cathyx: The Onion ran a headline a couple of days ago that read: “After Olympics, euthanized dogs returned to streets of Sochi.”

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    @efgoldman

    If it weren’t so subject to be taken out of the context of being offered as mocking by way of hyperbole, would refer to these bills as

    The Share the Sharia Act

    Forbidden Fruit Law

    and so forth.

  59. 59.

    FlipYrWhig

    @ruemara: Or at the right time. A Thing could have been done already! A Thing could have been done bigger! A Thing could have been done nicer! No points! It gets damn old damn fast.

  60. 60.

    Origuy

    I was in Moscow last March with a Russian-American friend who works with animal shelters here. She visited a couple of shelters in Moscow that were little more than warehouses. The dogs were kept in little houses that are open to the elements. The people running them mean well, but have little support. When she was planning to go there, she wanted to bring back a dog before she found out about all the red tape. Many people there distrust veterinarians, as they do doctors. She got a neighbor of her mother’s to let her take the lady’s dog to the vet because it had a huge absess. My friend is now a huge fan of David Backes.

  64. 64.

    Origuy

    I should add that Russians love dogs, but they don’t have the same perception of them as we do. My friend’s mother and the lady I stayed with each had three dogs in small apartments. There are many street dogs in Moscow, and apparently Sochi, that are fed by people in the neighborhoods, but aren’t really any one person’s. As a result, they have injuries and diseases that go untreated. They aren’t feral, just orphaned.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    LOL

    Ted Nugent’s Brother: He Crossed a Line

    LOL^2

    ‘Blacklist’ Fans Angry Over West, Cruz Insult

  67. 67.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Just in case my own comment about it above requires clarification (which I don’t feel it really does), I don’t denigrate Backes’ actions, I just don’t find them as impressive as Mr. Cole seems to.

  69. 69.

    Suffern ACE

    @JPL: gee, so maybe if MLB had actually contemplated moving the All Star Game, it would have made a difference in 2010.

  71. 71.

    Suffern ACE

    @NotMax: yeah. But you walked out on ghostbusters 30 years ago. I’m seeing a pattern. I bet you’re thinking about a beard implant, too.

  76. 76.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Origuy:

    There are many street dogs in Moscow, and apparently Sochi, that are fed by people in the neighborhoods, but aren’t really any one person’s.

    A lot of the Sochi dogs were people’s dogs that were given up when their homes got knocked down to build Olympic venues and they got moved into apartments as “compensation”.

    Anyway, for Olympic athletes, those weeks are probably going to be the most significant distinct weeks in their lives, which is why some of them are going to want to bring dogs home, just as people on active duty want to bring home strays. No point in being pissy about it.

  79. 79.

    Suffern ACE

    @efgoldman: apparently, this bill was the only thing standing in the way of me going into a business and raping the customers. Now that it has failed, it’s safe for me to rape people again. How can you troll that?

  80. 80.

    dmsilev

    @scav: I’m trying to understand this one:

    Jan Brewer will go down as a spineless homosexual ganglia.

    Even though I’m not sure what it means, I nominate ‘a spineless homosexual ganglia’ as a tag suggestion.

  85. 85.

    BGK

    Holy Hell, but Creosote-Christie was going full Dick Nixon in the clip of a New Jersey radio Q&A from earlier this evening. Combative, borderline nonsensical, in full denial. All that was missing was the flop sweat.

  88. 88.

    Joel

    Some part of me wonders why more people don’t listen to Bob Barker on this issue. I get that the Russians don’t watch “Price is Right” but the message is basically the same.

  89. 89.

    scav

    @dmsilev: Suddenly I’m wondering what all my neural pathways and cell bodies (bodies! eek!!) are getting up to now that they are revealed to have sexual preferences and are unfettered by AZ law as to their expression. As they are also spineless, imagine the flexibility . . . . .

  90. 90.

    Suffern ACE

    @Baud: yeah, but what would that do? It is not possible to make them more upset. They are at 11. Benghazi might bring them down to 10.97.

  95. 95.

    Suffern ACE

    @Baud: what’s the opposite of trolling? I’d give my undying respect to anyone who took on the task of calming that thread down to the level of a purring kitten and managed to do it in three posts or fewer.

  97. 97.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @Mnemosyne:

    So your complaint is that they’re also doing extra?

    Well, duh! Anyone who does more good than they were already doing is a rat bastard. Especially if the extra doesn’t solve every problem everywhere. Anyone who doesn’t solve every problem everywhere is pure evil.

  98. 98.

    PurpleGirl

    I went over to the Athletes for Animals website. I like it. They plan to make grants to non-profit no-kill shelters to take care of animals. I know of several shelters I will be recommending apply for a grant in the the next year or so. Anyone here who is involved with no-kill shelters should take a look at Athletes for Animals and keep them in mind. The one thing I do really hope happens from the PR they are getting is that more people become interested in spay/neuter programs and no-kill shelters.

  99. 99.

    jl

    @Suffern ACE: Calming them down is impossible. They are out of their heads.

    I was thinking, at least for the Xtianists, who are so super Biblical, even on those terms, what religious test or doctrine can justify their stand? What (edit: they think) Paul said was that gays were one of a number of types of sinners that he thought should not be in the Christian church.

    Did Paul say anywhere in his letters that Christians should shun those people, have nothing to do with them? I don’t think so, but someone please correct me if my memory fails.

    And Paul counseled Christians to be moderate and flexible in their dealings with pagans, paying more attention to the spirit and intention of actions and associations, rather than being hung on rigid rules and regulations. Now, would Paul have more qualms about a Christian deciding whether to eat some sacrificial meat at a dinner, or a Christian selling some grain to some guy (who maybe even wanted to join a Christian church) who was gay? And do these Xtianist churches propose to discriminate against ALL the types of sin Paul said exclued people from the church? I don;t think so, but someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    These people are just freaked out and have gone insane. But, probably they would accuse me of persecuting them if I tried to point out that even on their own terms,there is no religious reason for their extreme stand.

    Probably some exotic fundamentalist Original Second Temple Jewish sect, or a very strict Hindu would have a better case.

    But, I guess if they want to just make stuff up to suit their fear and bigotry and make that their religion, be my guest. My recollection is that Scalia has already ruled against them, though I am sure Scalia would make an exception in his reasoning on the Naive American peyote rite case, just because these people have decided to call themselves Christian. (Edit: actually, I was a little unfair because the Native Americans in the peyote case, since it was not about bunch of stoners who just made stuff up).

    Sad teririfeid senseless out of their sense bigot, is all they are IMHO.

  100. 100.

    Gex

    @Jebediah, RBG: It’s the nativism that shocks me. The life of an American dog is inherently and unquestionably more important and worthy of saving than that Russian dog. Whereas I think a dog saved is a dog saved and that’s a good thing.

  101. 101.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Fred Clark at Slacktivist has been addressing this a lot lately — this one was particularly good:

    Erick Erickson says that the Apostle Peter is an idiot who doesn’t understand the vision God gave to the Apostle Peter

    That’s right — Erick Erickson is convinced he understands St. Peter’s vision better than St. Peter himself did. Because apparently having personal, living contact with the actual Jesus Christ is not as important in vision interpretation as being an American right-wing asshole.

  102. 102.

    Suzanne

    @Mnemosyne: AZ is much purpler than its reputation would suggest. Much of Phoenix is blue, as is Flagstaff and most of Tucson. The xenophobia is still a problem, but in many other ways, it’s as socially liberal as other big cities. This bill was strongly opposed the moment people became aware of it. Those state reps didn’t realize that the place changed while they weren’t looking.

    Those of us who are politically active in AZ, however, knew. NO ONE liked this bill, aside from a few religious nut jobs.

  103. 103.

    Cassidy

    NO ONE liked this bill, aside from a few religious nut jobs.

    It’s the latter that matters to them.

  106. 106.

    Jennifer

    Off topic, but I came in too late for the Texas gay marriage ruling thread and this should not remain unsaid. The popcorn is popping for the freakout at the Texas lege, and I have to remind everyone of what Molly Ivins once said regarding a debate at the legislature over sodomy. At the conclusion of the passing vote, a couple of the leaders on the anti-sodomy issue shook hands, and Ivins opined that they should have then been arrested, because they had just passed a law making it illegal for a prick to touch an asshole in the state of Texas.

    So…something like that is what I’m expecting.

  107. 107.

    Cervantes

    @Bargal20:

    And exactly how much did it cost to transport and quarantine two puppies? What a stupid waste of resources. Why not donate that money to animal shelters in Sochi and adopt a couple of St Louis strays?

    Because that would make too much sense.

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    @Cervantes:

    Or because they’re already doing it:

    Backes and his wife, who have four rescue dogs and two rescue cats in their home and set up their own foundation, Athletes for Animals, last November, received helped from Canadian winger Jeff Carter’s girlfriend, Megan Keffer, and defenseman Drew Doughty’s girlfriend, Nicole Arruda, and others.

    In your opinion, how much personal and professional animal activism do they have to do at home before they are allowed to also do a small amount overseas by bringing two dogs home from Russia? Is there a set amount of time their foundation needs to be in operation first?

  111. 111.

    Cervantes

    @Mnemosyne: You’re being silly (again).

    I said nothing about preventing them or not allowing them.

    I just think Bargal20 had a point. You don’t think so? That’s perfectly OK.

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    @Cervantes:

    I asked the same question of Bargal20: how much personal and professional activism at home is required before you’re allowed to do a small amount of that same activism overseas?

    Since you agree with him/her, perhaps you can share your perspective on that question.

  113. 113.

    Suffern ACE

    @Mnemosyne: Argle, bargle, kids these days, get off my lawn. The problem with Frank, I guess, is that of the dream monster outfield of his contemporary period, he’s overshawdowed by Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. But, still. He’s Frank Robinson. It’s like not knowing who that George Brett guy is while playing in Kansas City.

  114. 114.

    Cervantes

    @Mnemosyne:

    I asked the same question of Bargal20: how much personal and professional activism at home is required before you’re allowed to do a small amount of that same activism overseas?

    You keep using the word “allowed.” It has nothing to do with what I said.

  115. 115.

    sublime33

    I would have more admiration for Backes if he wasn’t such a douche on the ice. Google “David Backes dirty” and you get a decent library of cheap shots, flying elbows, slew foots and knee on knee shots. And he has too much talent to resort to that.

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