Dodgers Mascot Goes Viral Comforting the Dog No One Adopted
A Los Angeles Dodgers mascot went sweetly viral this week for showing some love to an unclaimed dog at an animal adoption event Sunday hosted by the baseball team.
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control teamed up with the Dodgers to put on an event called “Home for the Holidays,” according to a report by Dodgers Nation.
It was a steal of a deal for families shopping for a new best friend, as all fees were waived, including adoption fees, spay and neuter services, vaccines, and microchipping.
“The first 300 attendees received vouchers for complimentary food and drink, and all guests had a complimentary photo opportunity with a Dodger Legend in centerfield,” the organization reported.
The adoptive families also received gifts, including car seats and pet care supplies.
For 42 pups, the event was a howling success that ended in new fur-ever homes.
At the end of the day, only two dogs were left, including Waldomar, a black Labrador retriever from the Lancaster Animal Care Center.
But a Dodgers costumed mascot attempted to comfort the disappointed doggie with some individual attention.
The mascot “stopped by to hug him and remind him he’s a good boy,” the shelter explained in a post on Instagram.
The accompanying video showed the mascot — the Dodgers actually prefer to call him a “unique performance character” — going to great lengths to interact with Waldomar, first kneeling down and then lying on the pavement to get down to the doggo’s level while showering him with hugs and scritches.
View this post on Instagram
The post went on to explain that Waldomar, an 88-pound neutered 4-year-old, had arrived at the center as an injured stray.
The dog spent “almost 2 months waiting with no interest.”
“We brought him [to the adoption event] hoping his luck would change,” the center said. “Everyone at the event loved him, he was gentle and calm meeting tons of people, kids and other dogs, but nobody was ready to take him home.”
A Facebook post indicated shelter staff found it “devastating” that Waldomar had not been chosen by a family during Sunday’s adoption event, since he was “the most urgent and the longest stay dog at Lancaster.”
That phrase hinted at the grim reality of shelter life — many unclaimed animals end up slated for euthanization.
But, in what might be considered Waldomar’s Christmas miracle, things began to turn around for him.
The Lancaster shelter reported in the Instagram post that they planned to transfer the dog to a sister shelter in Agoura “to get a second chance (since he was completely out of time at Lancaster),” the Facebook post said.
Then, the Instagram post of Waldomar frolicking with the Dodgers mascot began to go viral, gathering tens of thousands of views and likes.
And by Tuesday evening, the Lancaster shelter was able to update the post with the happiest of news. “12/16 update he was just adopted!” the post announced.
No further details were provided about the adopter, but there’s no doubt their good deed has earned them a spot on Santa’s “Nice List.”
Merry Christmas, Waldomar!
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
