PBA players Evan Nelle, Venky Jois, Zavier Lucero share their 'puppy love'

Whenever you feel down, you could always turn to a dog by your side.

That was what PBA players Evan Nelle and Venky Jois of NorthPort, and Magnolia's Zav Lucero shared as they honored their furry companions in a brief chat with One Sports to celebrate International Dog Day on Aug. 26.

Nelle said that he has five dogs, Khaleesi, a Samoyed, corgis Hallie and Coco, Yoshi, a Yorkshire terrier, and his first dog, a shih tzu named Wade, whom he considers his favorite.

Evan Nelle's shih tzu, Wade | Photo courtesy of Nelle

For Nelle, the saying "a dog is a man's best friend" holds true. Furbabies are best friends who would listen to you without judgment and whose companionship is therapeutic.

"Man's best friend nga, 'di ba? So even if you don't get to talk to them, you can just say anything to them. They'll just listen, and they'll just be there. So, it's like therapy," said Nelle.

"Lalo na 'pag masama ang loob ko or, like, bad day, I would just run to Wade and anybody there. They would just make me lambing. They would just play with me," he added.

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Evan Nelle's Samoyed, Khaleesi | Photo courtesy of Nelle

 For Zav Lucero, who was traded to Magnolia from NorthPort this season, his two dogs, a mixed Australian cattle dog and a terrier, help keep him in a good mood.

"My dogs mean a lot to me. Just like any dog, they are always in a good mood. These are just faces that you can't stay in a bad mood when you see them. I'm looking forward to seeing them when I get back home," said Lucero.

"It's hard to stay in a bad mood when you have a dog in your face that's just in a good mood," he added.

Walks and playing are how Lucero bonds with his dogs.

One of Evan Nelle's corgis, Coco | Photo courtesy of Nelle

For Nelle, bonding also includes giving in to their wants at dinner time.

"When we're eating at the dinner table, you can see they are always at my side. Humihingi sila ng rice. I give them food," said Nelle.

"Coco is 'yung pinaka-playful, so I would run with him, and he would run to me," Nelle also shared.

Venky Jois' golden retriever, Buddy | Photo courtesy of Jois

For Australian reinforcement Jois, distance poses a problem whenever he has to play overseas. He has three dogs: one in the US and two in Australia. He has a golden retriever, Buddy, a mastiff mix, Maya, and one mini husky, Meiko. 

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Though he tried to find ways in which he could bring them with him, he finds it would be too stressful for their dogs to endure the long travel and quarantine requirements, given that he would only play for a short time in a country.

"It's tough. We've already looked into a lot of ways that maybe we could bring some of our dogs with us. But, unfortunately, there is a lot of quarantine that needs to go on. Especially Australia doesn't have rabies, so in two weeks, they just have to be in a kennel in a random airport somewhere. So it's a little stressful for them especially when these conferences are so short. [We want to] make it worth it for them," said Jois.

Venky Jois' mini husky, Meiko | Photo courtesy of Jois

Jois said that he has been lucky to have loving dogs who provides him with companionship.

"We've had been lucky with our dogs. They have been so loving. The companionship is crazy. It's hard to quantify," said Jois. 

Venky Jois' mastiff mix, Maya | Photo courtesy of Jois

Jois stressed the impact of dogs on a person's well-being, even citing their capabilities to be service animals.

"There's literally a job out there called service dogs. If it's emotional support, if you are hearing- or vision-impaired, they can do a lot of things. They are wonderful creatures," said Jois.

(With reports from Gillian Trinidad/One Sports)