When Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson met Elmo, a homeless Dalmatian-Pointer mix, he says he wasn’t looking for another dog.
Hudson already had a rescue dog named Kipper, a rambunctious Labrador Retriever mix. But when Braves manager Bobby Cox asked Hudson to participate in a photo shoot for the Braves’ 2007 Pet Calendar, which benefited the Homeless Pets Foundation, one of Cox’s favorite charities, Hudson agreed to help out.
First Hudson posed at home with Kipper. Then he agreed to be photographed with an available dog at Turner Field, the Braves’ ballpark in Atlanta.
Hudson told USA Today that he fell quickly – and hard – for Elmo. “He was injured and had health problems, and he was still a small puppy, so I felt sorry for the little thing,” Hudson says.
After the photo shoot, Hudson made arrangements to adopt Elmo. The dog, who had been wandering the streets of Atlanta only days before, also got a new name to go along with his new life: Turner, in honor of the place where owner and dog had first met.
The 2008 Atlanta Braves Pet Calendar will be available starting next month. To learn more, visit http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com.