Roo Yori spent that “Secret Life of Pets 2” money in the best way possible

Ninja Warriors tend to be a passionate group of people. But few are as passionate about a cause as Roo Yori. The five-time American Ninja Warrior competitor has dedicated his entire life, both on and off the course, to advocating for shelter dogs and dog adoption. In fact, he’s known as the K9 Ninja.

In season 11, the Atlanta Qualifiers were held in collaboration with the film “The Secret Life of Pets 2.” There was a highly entertaining doggie Warped Wall and a huge surprise for Roo. After he hit the buzzer, he was called over to the doggie wall where he was presented with a check for $20,000 from the filmmakers. Naturally, that money went straight to the dogs.

Roo recently updated us on how he spent that cash and the result is going to warm your heart. He put the money into a van to make sure as many pups as possible had a shot a finding their forever home.

Through email, Roo explained how one vehicle could make such a difference.

“We’re using it to transport dogs from areas where they will likely be euthanized due to overpopulation to areas where overpopulation isn’t as big of an issue so they are more likely to be adopted.

A silver lining to the pandemic is that a lot of dogs have been adopted, and depending on where you are located it can be harder now to adopt a dog. (Insider tip... Sign up with a local rescue to be a foster home.) They are still out there though, so the transports are even more important these days to help give people who are looking to adopt a dog instead of buying one the opportunity to do that and save a dog’s life.

There’s a transport through P.A.W.S. that goes through my city every other week taking dogs from Missouri to rescues in the Twin Cities like Secondhand Hounds. Multiple cars are often needed for each leg, and if there aren’t enough drivers or vehicles then the dogs can’t make the trip. The van helps make sure our leg of the transport is always covered.”

Roo shares updates on his transport missions via his Instagram page. While it’s so sad to think that these sweet dogs don’t have homes yet, we can’t stop smiling over the fact that someone like Roo is there to help them on their journey.

These faces... WE MUST HUG THEM ALL.

How many dogs are you allowed to adopt at once? Can we have them all? (We’re joking. You should always be incredibly careful when selecting a pet for your home. After all, it’s called a FOREVER home.)

Obviously, Roo’s not done yet. He recently got the call to be on season 13 of American Ninja Warrior and he’s gearing up for another fundraiser. You can make a pledge per obstacle he completes this season and all proceeds go to his “Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation.”