Pooch Invaders: When dogs interrupt football matches

When dogs steal the spotlight, it can result in a win-win situation.

Football has a history of unplanned incidents involving pitch invaders looking for a moment in the spotlight.  Sometimes it is to get closer to their heroes, or even show them how it should be done, and other times it’s just to get a bit of attention. Every so often, a cheeky soul finds its way onto the turf and interrupts play, and on more than one occasion, that someone is a pooch invader wanting to join in the fun. 

Dog interrupts play

In February this year, a dog that repeatedly interrupted play during a match in Serbia was finally given the red card by the referee (see featured image above).

A few months earlier in December – during a league game at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, Bolivia, a stray dog (now called Cachito) had stolen the show for at least three minutes. This was after he had grabbed one of the sub goalkeeper’s boots from the touchline. He then bounded around the pitch with it in his mouth before getting on his back for a few belly rubs. Play stopped and the players attempted to calm him down! 

Eventually, one of the home team’s players, Raul Castro, picked up Cachito and carried him off. This stray dog won hearts and fans claimed he had been a good luck charm, as the home team went on to win 3-0. 

After the game

However, this isn’t the end of the tale. A few days later, things weren’t working out too well for Cachito himself. He had been hit by a moving vehicle and was in poor shape. He was taken to a shelter to recover. Raul Castro – the player, who had carried the dog to the sideline, heard what had happened. He then got in contact with the shelter and volunteered to adopt him. He announced to fans that the dog ‘will be named Cachito, the name people give him’ and arranged to pick him up after his next match.

Raul told CBS, “I don’t have any social media so I found out from my teammates, who told me,” Castro said. “I contacted the shelter and told them that I will adopt the dog. I will adopt him when I return to La Paz because I’m now traveling to Santa Cruz.”

Happy end

Raul and Cachito have been happily together since then. Now the pup has a good home and can run around a pitch whenever he wants to.

What a lovely ending for this once-stray dawg!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWerIw8rpvQ
Watch the pitch action here

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