A Florida cross-country team known as Boss Cross has been helping shelter dogs find homes.
For the last six years, the runners, who attend George Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida, have partnered with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to help promote animal adoption, Head Coach Allison Szponar told Fox News Digital.
The idea came about in 2017 after a Boss Cross team mom saw an advertisement to volunteer with the humane society, and shared it with the cross country team's coaching staff. Coaches then decided to get the boys involved, according to Szponar.
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Szponar, who is also a sports marketing instructor at George Steinbrenner, said the coaches saw the partnership as an opportunity for the team to step up for their community.
The Boss Cross boys cross-country team motto is "Gentleman. Scholar. Athlete." and this volunteer opportunity has aligned with their mission, Szponar added.
Each summer and during some fall and winter breaks, the Boss Cross boys will run daily with the adoptable pups.
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Glen Hatchell, behavior and enrichment manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, said the dogs appear relaxed after running with the team.
"This gives the dogs a fun experience outside of the shelter," Hatchell told Fox News Digital.
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Some of the dogs from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay that have gone on runs with team, made such an impression they were adopted by boys in the Boss Cross family, Szponar shared.
"Our first dog we ever ran with, Jasper, was adopted by former captain of the team who really fell in love with him," Szponar commented.
The team is made up of 25-30 high school students, and during the summer they will usually have 20 volunteers from the team partake in the collaboration.
When the boys leave for their varsity week-long training camp, Boss Cross alumni will step in and take over the effort.
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"The team understands the importance to the dogs but also to the community at large. Their families or neighbors might adopt any of these dogs," Hatchell commented.
When the Boss Cross team attends meets within the Lutz area, they are often recognized by others because of their work with the shelter dogs.
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"It's a really cool brand we have, and it goes along with what our team is about," Szponar noted.
The George Steinbrenner boys cross-country team won the state championship in 2017 and has had 13 state appearances, with hopes of making it 14 later this year.
"I truly believe that these kids having this responsibility and having to care for others directly impacts our team and our success," Szponar said.
