WREG.com

From stray to the big game: Former West Memphis pup makes Puppy Bowl roster

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — A former West Memphis Animal Shelter puppy will be a part of the annual Puppy Bowl this year.

Bevil was abandoned last July and left at the shelter’s doors. He was in poor condition when arrived.

“He was just a little guy, probably no more than ten maybe twelve weeks old,” said Kerry Facello, West Memphis Animal Services director. “He was alone, there were no other litter mates.”

They quickly nursed him to health and got him a foster home before sending him to a partner rescue five hundred miles away in Chicago.

This week, the shelter learned what Bevil had been up since leaving thanks to the diligence of the city’s communication director.

Now named “Toast,” he has an Instagram page document his journey and a chance to compete for the “Lombarky” in this weekend’s puppy bowl on animal planet.

“It really gave all of us a boost here to know that all of those efforts do payoff, they do matter,” Facello said.

“It’s just another success story for West Memphis,” said Nick Coulter, Communications Director for West Memphis. “Like, you can see behind me, we’re on a winning streak and that’s exactly what our story is. He’s just spreading our winning streak.”

The shelter is now encouraging everyone to like its Facebook page. It increases the exposure and chances for these animals like Bevil to be adopted.