Houston Astros Pitcher Adopts Dog Saved From Death

A Houston Astros pitcher has adopted an injured stray dog that may have been euthanized by the vet, Fox 26 reported.

The dog’s life took a fortunate turn when the woman Abby Frizzell heard it making sounds as she passed it on the street.

“I heard a noise on the side of the street and I went over and saw she was laying there by herself with no owners,” Frizzell told Fox 26.

She saw the dog laying by the bush, injured and unable to walk. Frizzell took the initiative to help the black Labrador before another accident could occur.

“So I was going to try to help her not get hit by a car,” she said. ”She was making a panting sound and she was kind of crying.”

Frizzell was late for work that day but decided to take the Labrador to the veterinarian instead.

The vet had told her that the Labrador had a “punctured lung, a fractured elbow, and a broken back leg.” It was then that Frizzell made her a solemn promise.

“I told her, ‘If you make it through this, you will never suffer again and you will have the best life.’”

But Frizzell’s promise would come with a hefty price tag. The vet told her that the surgery would cost $10,000 and recommended the dog be put down instead.

Frizzell laughed off the vet’s suggestion as she had no doubt in her mind that she could raise the money on her own. And indeed she did.

On Sept. 6, Frizzell created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the dog’s surgery and ended up raising $7,535.

Although she wasn’t far off the target, she still needed a little more. That’s when Dallas Keuchel, a pitcher for the Houston Astros, came to the rescue. He made up the difference and adopted Holly. Frizzell had named the dog Holly because she found her near a holly bush.

“It’s kind of funny ‘cause I joke with her that she’s going to Hollywood,” said Frizzell. ”It was 100 percent by God’s plan.”

The vet has since said that the dog will have her cast off in a couple of weeks and will make a complete recovery.

Fellow Astros Pitcher Raised Awareness for Pet Adoption

Dallas Keuchel’s teammate Justin Verlander and his wife Kate Upton raised awareness for local pet adoption agencies at a Grand Slam Adoption Event on Sept. 2, ABC reported.

While the event is running for the fourth time, Upton said it was the first time the event took place in Houston.

The purpose was to pair adoptable dogs with “loving homes” and “provide service dogs for military veterans.”

The event featured a pet costume contest and a dog parade, followed by a game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Houston Astros.

According to People magazine, Upton said her whole family were great lovers of dogs and grew up around rescued dogs.

Her idea to host the event in Houston came about after she visited animal shelters many times in her hometown and felt inspired to bring these “amazing dogs” to their needed homes.

Upton is expanding her family with a child on the way, she told People that she may expand her “dog family” as well.