Espanyol players walked out with dogs by their side for their La Liga match against Mallorca this weekend, as part of a campaign to help raise awareness for dogs in rescue.
This is the second year the campaign has taken place, with fans encouraged to donate food and blankets at the stadium.
The heartwarming initiative
The initiative saw 11 dogs rescued and 2,000kg of food and bedding donated last year, which is a huge help to rescue centres working to care for and re-home abandoned dogs.
This time, each player was accompanied by a dog, with smaller dogs and puppies carried by the team. Among them were many Podencos, Spanish hounds who are often abandoned at the end of the hunting season.
A team of animal lovers
Espanyol midfielder Pol Lozando recently attended a press conference with his dog Mango, who was found in a rubbish bin as a tiny puppy.
"It's one of the best things that happened to me in my life", the animal lover explained.
"The truth is that it is important that we become more aware that they can be a very important part of people's lives", he continued.
Hopefully the campaign will help some dogs find loving new homes of their own.
