News
Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox Helps Homeless Animals
November 03, 2006, 12:0AM MT
By Michelle Buckalew
from the Atlanta Braves
from the Atlanta Braves
ATLANTA -- What started as a friendly early morning conversation...
between a legendary baseball figure and caring veterinarian has grown into a relationship that is based on the belief that homeless pets deserve the utmost attention and care.
Approximately five years ago, Braves manager Bobby Cox awoke to the whining of his dog, Rosa. Needing to find somebody willing to provide immediate care in the middle of the night, Cox found Dr. Michael Good, and in the process, he found somebody committed to a cause that struck close to home.
Long before Pam Cox knew her famous spouse, she was always an animal lover. As the Braves skipper tells it, his wife "has always had a horse and dogs and other pets." Now, the Cox family, which resides on a farm in the Northwest region of Georgia, finds itself once again lending its name to an event that will help raise money for Good's nonprofit Homeless Pets Foundation.
The second annual Bobby Cox Paws Because ... They Are Worth Saving Fundraising event will be held at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Ga., on Nov. 18 from noon to 4 p.m. ET. Top country acts Rodney Atkins, Bobby Pinson and Luke Bryan will provide musical entertainment.
With Bryan being a favorite among many Braves players, many are expected to attend this event. The Leesburg, Ga., native will serve as the event's opening act for the second consecutive year.
"Luke is a staple when it comes to native Georgia country music, and we look forward to his performance again this year," Cox said.
Tickets for the event are $125 and can be purchased online at www.homelesspets.com or at Northside Bank in Adairsville.
Cox and his wife will be at Wild Bill's in Duluth at 10 p.m. on Saturday night to promote the event. Those present will have the opportunity to buy one event ticket and get another one free. Each ticket purchaser will receive one baseball autographed by Cox. Items brought into the club will not be signed.
In addition to hearing some of country music's top upcoming acts, those who attend the Paws Because event can bid to receive one of the many attractive sports memorabilia products that will be available. Items that will be available as part of a silent auction include baseballs, jerseys, helmets and bats signed by many Braves players and personalities, as well as autographed memorabilia from such Hall of Famers as Bruce Sutter and Frank Robinson. There will also be items signed by top athletes such as Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Dominique Wilkins and Michael Vick.
"This is something that is very close to our heart, and it should be a lot of fun," Cox said. "We're just trying to build on the success of last year's event."
The inaugural event was held at Cox's farm in Adairsville. This year's site will allow for a larger crowd and consequently provide the opportunity to provide a larger donation to the charitable foundation, which Good created in 1998.
"A friendship began with Mike, and he told us about the growing number of homeless animals in this city," Cox said. "Mike and his team provide medical care, fostering and a home until these animals can be adopted.
He also provides extended stay for the growing number of senior animals that will never find a home. The only crime these animals have committed is they got lost or someone abandoned them. Pam and I established Paws Because as a way to save as many animals as we can."
Homeless Pets
http://www.homelesspets.com/
Atlanta Braves
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Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com.
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