NFL Player Starts Program for Rescue Dogs
Logan Ryan, NFL defensive back, has been putting in the work on the field to stay in shape for this season of football. However, he’s also been putting in some work off the field, but not for football.
Over the summer, he spent time starting a program that offers virtual training camps for rescue dogs in the Tampa Bay area.
Beginning of RARF
RARF (Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation) was co-created by Logan and Ashley, his wife, as a non-profit “dedicated to supporting the animal welfare community through financial and educational resources” according to their website.
This project was created because of Ashley’s experience working at a local animal shelter in Massachusetts. She fell in love with the work she was doing at the shelter and even created a separate one dedicated specifically to Pitbulls. She and her husband Logan even adopted their own Pitbull, Leo, after learning more about the breed and the reasons that they struggle to be adopted. They wanted to help lower the rising number of Pitbulls that were entering shelters across the country.
To do his part, Logan created Logan’s Monthly Rescue in June 2015. Each month he chose a Pitbull from a local shelter and post pictures of himself and the dog to his large following on social media to raise awareness for the dogs in the shelter. As he continued to become more involved at the local shelters with his wife, they decided they wanted to do even more good. This is when RARF came to be.
RARF Today
RARF began when the Ryans were living in Nashville, where they worked to support and promote national animal welfare societies. After their move to Tampa, they worked with local humane societies to provide virtual training camp sessions that coincided with Logan’s training camp with the Buccaneers.
Now, the program offers four-week virtual training scholarships to anyone adopting a dog. The sessions are guided by a positive reinforcement trainer from the virtual dog training app GoodPup.
They also continue to advocate and support animal welfare groups as well as highlight Black-owned businesses that are involved in animal welfare. They have already raised $250,000 for their mission.