Adopt a Dog

says K9 Ninja Warrior Roo Yori

I became acquainted with the Yoris (Roo and Clara) years ago on Facebook when many of us pit bull owners, rescuers (Bad Rap), and Best Friends (where I worked one summer) got involved with the former Michael Vick dogs rescue and a dog named Patrick (Patrick Movement). We raised a lot of awareness about the dogs and helped educate folks about the “nanny dogs”… American dogs and adopting shelter dogs since too many wind up getting euthanized.

New article about ROO Yori, the K9 Ninja Warrior

Roo and his current dogs Johnny the pit bull, and Juju the corgi mix.

short bio about Andrew “Roo” Yori...

Roo Yori is known as the K9 Ninja because he competes to bring awareness to homeless dogs and to promote their adoption. Roo & his wife, Clara, adopted a pit bull named Wallace who was going to be euthanized at the shelter. Roo and Wallace went on to win the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge National Championships in Freestyle Flying Disc, which led to a bestselling novel Wallace by New York Times Best Selling author Jim Gorant. 

Roo also adopted Hector, one of the pit bulls rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting case, who became a Certified Therapy Dog. 

Wallace’s bucket list and my tribute to Wallace and Hector cross country trip

Roo continues to raise awareness and funds for homeless dogs from being a returning competitor on the hit NBC TV show American Ninja Warrior. He also enjoys speaking at schools, animal shelters, and various events. 

He is fund raising for the Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation.

Click the above link and it will take you to the page where you can donate $1, $5, $100, any amount helps to rescue / adopt dogs who need homes. Please share.

What made you get into becoming a frisbee throwing/disk dog champion with Wallace?

Wallace was going to be euthanized at the shelter, but we were able to take him in as a foster dog to prevent that from happening.  We found out that Wallace really liked to catch Frisbees and that there were competitions for dogs who like to catch Frisbees. Things just clicked with both of us, and we became National and World Champions as a Frisbee dog team.  I noticed that even people who were scared of pit bulls wanted to meet Wallace after watching us play.  It opened the door for a conversation that maybe all the negative things they were hearing through the media wasn't the whole story regarding dogs who looked like Wallace.  Seeing this impact and knowing the exposure that the Michael Vick case was going to get, I thought it was important that if any of those dogs could be deemed adoptable that they get the chance to prove themselves as well.  Fortunately that's what happened, and we were fortunate to have Hector join our family.  I wanted their stories to continue after they passed away, so I created Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation to help support dogs who are in similar situations today.

why did you apply to become K9 Ninja & how long have you been on the TV show?

After Wallace and Hector passed away I was struggling how to advocate for the dogs and have the same impact.  They both had huge followings, but without them around anymore we couldn't attend events, create content together, etc.  I saw American Ninja Warrior on TV and thought it looked like a lot of fun.  It has nothing to do with dogs, but they highlight the back stories of some of the athletes.  I thought "what if I could get chosen to be on the show, and they ended up featuring Wallace and Hector?"  It could do exactly what I was looking to do - keep their stories out there and create a platform where I could encourage people to adopt rescue dogs, including pit bulls.  I ended up getting picked back in 2016 for Season 8 and Season 12 on September 14, 2020 will be my 5th season competing on the show.

any books besides the one about Wallace?

We did do a couple of children's books also. The Wallace and Roo books are available on Amazon

tips for adopting a dog?

I always encourage people to focus more on getting to know the dog, and to make sure the dog's behavior will work with your life, rather than adopting based on looks or a certain breed.

what hobbies do you enjoy and why?

Most of my free time is spent training to keep in shape for ANW, and keeping up with my wife Clara.  Obviously spending time with my dogs, which includes cuddling on the couch and binge watching more Netflix that I'd like to admit. 

any more thoughts about K9 Ninja & adopting dogs that need homes...

There are still a lot of dogs across the country sitting in shelters/rescue through no fault of their own who need somebody to step up and give them a chance.  As the K9 Ninja, ANW gives me a platform that reaches beyond the typical dog rescue circles.  It's a unique opportunity that I'm going to ride out as long as possible, but ideally one day I could just have fun playing on some obstacles because all the shelters would be empty.  

how will donations specifically help dogs who need homes? 

I've been able to help support a number of organizations like Safe Humane Chicago, Players for Pits, Camp Companion to name a few.  We recently just purchased a van to help with transports.  This season of ANW I'm partnering with The W-Underdogs, which is an incredible organization serving the south Atlanta area.  They not only help dogs, but empower the youth to be a driver for positive change within their own communities.  

thoughts about the future

Ultimately, I want shelters and rescues to be relatively empty so we can focus on providing community support through training, proper vet care, etc.  Until then, I'm going to keep doing what I can to be a part of the solution.   

anything else you’d like to share?

Adopt your next dog!!