In Dana Kraft’s eyes, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has changed the culture in Foxboro, not only on the football field but also for dogs stuck in shelters across the region.
If the Patriots beat the Broncos in the AFC title game on Sunday in Denver, they will be moving on to their first Super Bowl in the post-Bill Belichick era. At the same time, the Krafts are looking to expand their Pawtriots initiative, which connects dogs in shelters with their forever families.
Dana Kraft said there is no coincidence that the program has seen overwhelming success in its inaugural year, while Vrabel has defied expectations in his first season as head coach, backed by the 16-3 Patriots.
The wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft launched the Pawtriots on the first day of training camp last July, in partnership with local animal shelters across New England, a culmination of years in the making.
The first practice under Vrabel resulted in roughly 40 dogs being adopted that day. Fans who came out to support the hometown team, and even rookie kicker Andy Borregales, joined in on the cause, while the head coach brought two pooches to the podium for his news conference.
Since then, dozens of other dogs have found permanent homes.
“When Vrabel was starting, I felt that this was the time to launch it because there was such a changing culture,” Dana Kraft told the Herald in a phone interview on Friday. “He has instituted such a fraternity or brotherhood; everybody at Gillette is shown respect.”
“You can see when the players play how they really play for him,” she added. “I wanted to capitalize on this moment.”
Animal shelters partnering with the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation reported a “significant increase” in website traffic in the days and weeks after the Pawtriots’ opening day, Dana Kraft said.
“That’s when we knew there was something there,” she said, “that we could start to grow this organization slowly but surely.”
Heisman, a 4-year-old Portuguese Water Dog that Robert Kraft received as an unexpected birthday gift in 2021, is the inspiration behind the Pawtriots. The little pooch has brought “so much joy” to the family that the Krafts decided to carve out a small arm of the Patriots Foundation that focused on pairing sheltered dogs with their forever families.
“Everything is obviously a bit on edge in the Kraft household right now,” Dana Kraft said. “There is a lot of excitement, but it is always very grounding … like when Robert comes in the door, and the dog is waiting with his squeaky toy, it just changes the whole tone of things.”
Robert Kraft announced on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Tail Waggin’ Tuesday” segment last week that he and his wife want to develop the Pawtriots into a national program that pairs adoptable dogs with veterans.
“We learned that 22 veterans commit suicide every day,” Kraft said on Zolak & Bertand. “I was not aware of the severity of this problem in the country. … These are people who have dedicated their lives … for our country. We owe them that.”
Speaking with the Herald, Dana Kraft said Operation Delta Dog, a New Hampshire organization that the Pawtriots partners with, trains dogs as service animals for veterans and has a “tremendous waiting list.”
The Krafts are looking to partner with Big Dog Ranch, the country’s largest cage-free, no-kill rescue, to retrofit a property near Patriot Place into a satellite shelter that focuses on dogs for veterans.
“There is clearly a greater need in the New England area to help people with emotional health issues, and in particular, veterans,” Dana Kraft said. “We thought this was a very natural fit.”
The Animal Rescue League of Boston has benefited from the initiative. Seven dogs appearing on the Sports Hub’s Tail Waggin’ Tuesday have been adopted within days of their respective segments, according to Edward Schettino, the ARL’s president and CEO.
Clyde, a 4-month-old pitbull mix from the ARL, received the spotlight last week, rocking a makeshift “I love Drake Maye” t-shirt. The puppy, neutered after his appearance, is ready for adoption.
The ARL received 25,000 meals that helped over 200 dogs from a food drive that the Pawtriots held during the Patriots’ Week 18 game at Gillette Stadium, Schettino said. Overall, the initiative has generated immense awareness around animal shelters in the region, he said.
Schettino smiles as he reflects on how five Patriots players visited the ARL’s Dedham location last summer. “As soon as the dogs came into the room, it changed everything,” he said. “These gigantic men melted.”
Dana Kraft said that as the program grows, players are significantly interested in how they can support the cause. “I love that so many of the players love their dogs and love what dogs mean for people and want to get involved,” she said.
