With a contract worth a guaranteed $20 million over four years, Ravens rookie offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley could have afforded Leona Helmsley’s dog if she were still alive.
Instead, he opted for goodwill over glamour.
When Stanley arrived at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCs) with his girlfriend and Ravens teammate Alexander Lewis and made his request for a new pet, the staff members couldn’t believe their ears.
“We are looking for a dog that’s been here a long time and (is) maybe not-so-adoptable,” Stanley said, according to the shelter’s Facebook page.
Stanley’s choice —?6-year-old Winter — delighted the staff after the pooch was passed over by other visitors because of her physical imperfections.?Stanley and his girlfriend signed the adoption papers?to?ensure a new home for a long-neglected pup.
The Baltimore shelter hopes Stanley’s heartwarming story will inspire other pet-lovers to consider “imperfect” animals.
“We are so proud to have amazing guys like Ronnie to be role models to the kids in our city,” the shelter’s Facebook post said. “Not only does his single act of kindness make adoption cool, but it makes giving love to an imperfectly perfect dog a ‘manly’ thing to do.”