Dogs have a fantastic talent to learn a skill, regardless of their breed and their origins.
Four rescued dogs were given a chance to showcase their talents by becoming the ball boys at the exhibition match of Brazil Tennis Open. The appearance of these four adorable and smart furballs made history in the world of tennis.
This program was initiated by Premier Pet, a pet food company that is also supporting pet adoption. Premier Pet has also been supporting organizations that are into feeding stray dogs and cats.
In the past, young kids were trained to be ball boys, but in 2016, Brazil Tennis Open started to use dogs as ball boys.
The four dogs (Frida, Costela, Mel, and Isabelle) were trained by months to be able to perform their tasks well. They took the role of ball boys during the exhibition match of Roberto Caballes Baena of Spain and Gastao Elias of Portugal.
During the match, the dogs wore a uniform, consisting of armbands and bandanna.
Dogs thought that picking up tennis balls was a game. Sometimes, after picking up the ball, they would forget giving it to humans!
Andrea Beckert of Association of Animal Well-Being said the four dogs were mistreated in the past. Andrea wants to prove to the world that these dogs, despite their horrific background, can still be trained and can do incredible things. These dogs need a second chance and a human to believe in their capabilities.
Since then, rescued dogs have again served as ball boys at Brazil Tennis Open.
In the 2018 Brazil Tennis Open, six dogs played the role of ball boys during warm-ups, semi-finals, and finals.
By the way, the four dogs who debuted during the 2016 Brazil Tennis Open were all adopted! One of them was even renamed Serena, from tennis superstar Serena Williams’ name.
It’s so exciting to see these dogs in action!
Watch these video on how the four dogs played their role as ball boys during the 2016 Brazil Tennis Open:
Thanks to CNN via YouTube for the amazing video!
