Click Here to View Cart 3: Dog Days of Summer with the Texas Rangers

I have an eBay search saved that pulls up everything for my favorite players. Usually there is just a mixture of base cards and inserts from recent sets, but occasionally something pops up that makes me take notice. Here is one of those things:

Under my Derek Holland search there was this picture of him with his dog, which appeared to be some sort of card issued in partnership with a dog food company. I did a couple of other searches, and this seller seemed to have the eBay market cornered on cards of Texas Rangers and their dogs. I very nearly ponied up the Buy It Now price that the guy was asking, but I eventually came across a page on the Texas Rangers website offering a full set of them for about the price the seller was asking for two singles. The set is called 'Dogs Safe at Home' and was put out in conjunction with the Humane Society of North Texas and Merrick Pet Care. Looking at it now, the site tells you they are 4 x 6-inch photos, but when I ordered I was under the impression that they were standard-size cards. The backs are blank.

There are 27 photos in the set, and I picked a few of my favorites to share here. First up are a couple of little dogs, both Chihuahuas that live with Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rios. I've always been a big dog kind of guy, so these little dogs aren't really my type. I think it's pretty funny that Choo's dog is wearing a little dress. 

Here are a couple of dogs that were still awaiting adoption at the shelter when they were making the set. Part of the intent of the set was to increase adoptions at the Humane Society, so it makes sense to show off some of the dogs that are available. Most of the players are featured in street clothes (I always want to use the term civilian clothes for clothes that aren't a uniform; it took me a while to remember the regular world's term for them), but Beltre was able to sneak some Rangers gear in there. The team manager, Ron Washington, even gets in on the action with his own card.

Matt Harrison gets into this post because his card features a special designation, noting that his dog Bella is a Humane Society rescue. Both of his dogs together weigh about 1/3 of my Basset Hound and about 1/5 of my wife's Labrador. Geovany Soto gets the 'Ultimate Cuteness' award with a chubby little French Bulldog puppy. Look at it! It's super cute!

And finally, we get Yu Darvish and his dogs, a Poodle-Schnauzer mix and a Cane Corso, which is apparently an Italian variant of the Mastiff. Pretty cool stuff. The set also came with a coupon for dog treats and a listing of Humane Society of North Texas shelters, as well as some tips for caring for your dog.

For those who are curious about whether their favorite Ranger appears in the set, here is the checklist:

Leonys Martin

Alexi Ogando

Joakim Soria

Michael Choice

J.P. Arencibia

Colby Lewis

Jason Frasor

Donnie Murphy

Tanner Scheppers

Jurickson Profar

Shawn Tolleson

Robinson Chirinos

Elvis Andrus

Neal Cotts

Prince Fielder

Mitch Moreland

Robbie Ross Jr.

Martin Perez

Yu Darvish

Geovany Soto

Matt Harrison

Ron Washington

Adrian Beltre

Engel Beltre

Alex Rios

Derek Holland

Shin-Soo Choo