At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones unveiled a new initiative to support animal welfare. During the NASCAR Cup Series event, Jones announced a plushie modeled after his dog Oscar, with proceeds aimed at aiding animal welfare programs through his foundation.
Visit to Ultimate Canine Training Highlights Commitment to Animal Welfare
Jones and his team recently visited Ultimate Canine Training in Westfield, Indiana, where they observed various dog training programs. He brought his dog Oscar to participate in a specialized obstacle course, demonstrating the dog’s agility and training. The visit provided a firsthand look at the intensive work done by the facility, which is also represented by several dogs currently in training displayed at the media center.
“Yeah, so yesterday we went to Julie’s place (Case, CEO, Ultimate Canine Training) in Westfield, Indiana. We drove over there. It was a great facility. I’m not going to take all of Julie’s thunder here, but they do a lot of training on multiple different dogs. We took my dog, Oscar, out there and ran him through a surprise course that they had out there set up for us. He gave it his best effort and did okay. He got through it. It was a lot of fun, and it was neat to see. We brought a few dogs from Ultimate Canine today that you can see up front hanging out that are in training and getting ready to go home with their families. We also have another announcement. This is a plushie that looks like Oscar. This is going to be something that is going to be available this weekend in the merch trailer, also, on my website – the Erik Jones Foundation website. It is going to be raising funds to go towards our cause of Animal Welfare, helping out groups like Ultimate Canine with their dog training effort and multiple other areas we do with animal welfare. Something we’ve been working on a long time, and we’ve been having fun with it this weekend here in Indy. Happy to have some dogs here in the media center for the media to enjoy.”
—Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver
Expanding the Foundation’s Animal Welfare Mission
The Erik Jones Foundation has been active for nearly four years, focusing on various charitable pillars, including cancer research and literacy. Recently, Jones has emphasized growing the animal welfare aspect to bring it more into the public eye. He credits collaborations with organizations like Ultimate Canine Training for helping to deepen this focus and support local and international canine work.
“Well, we started the foundation, I guess it has been almost four years, and I felt like the animal welfare portion has been probably one of the pillars that we’ve – we have done quite a bit with – but not as much as we have with the cancer or reading side. It hasn’t been as much as the forefront, and I’ve been wanting to bring it more forward. That has been a really big objective with the foundation, so as we kind of dove into that and figured out ways to connect, the plushie was a huge way we came up with the raise money for it, for one, but connecting with groups like Julie (Case, CEO, Ultimate Canine Training) and what they do, for me has been pretty fun. We did some work a few years ago with a group in Michigan with some training for police canines, and then to see Julie’s organization and to see what they do with the police work here locally and internationally with some other work with special ops dogs and with family dogs – as these are not quite special ops dogs here today. To see the work they do with all of the different kinds of trainings and just to see these first-class facilities, for me, is something that is pretty neat. Growing up, we always had dogs, and funny enough, my mom was big into training our dogs, so it was always something that was just interesting to me to see the different groups that train these dogs and what goes into it, and I think just to see the potential of dogs. It gets so overlooked sometimes – you meet these dogs, and you don’t always see their full potential and to see them working hard, and learning and getting smarter is something that is pretty neat.”
—Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver
Personal Bond Highlights Importance of Dog Training
Jones spoke candidly about his long-time connection with his dog Oscar and how training has enhanced their relationship. He stressed the value of professional dog training in improving quality of life and encouraged others to explore similar resources.
“I think Oscar (laughter). Even at eight years old, he can get pretty quick for a couple of minutes if he wants too. He’s just been a great dog. I’ve had Oscar since I was a single guy, and to watch him through meeting Holly (Jones’ wife), her and I getting married, and now having David, our eight-month-old and the way that he has adapted with him and grown with him, he has just been such a great dog in so many different ways, and a great companion. I just hope that everyone gets that experience and honestly, having a resource like Julie (Case, CEO, Ultimate Canine Training) and Ultimate Canine that you can have that a dog that is trained – it makes your life so much better with that dog and your relationship with your dog so much better, and just to try to share that through different communities is pretty important to me. With Oscar and the training that he had as a puppy, it has made the time with him over the last eight years even more enjoyable.”
—Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver
Future Plans to Broaden Animal Welfare Initiatives
Jones expressed interest in expanding the foundation‘s reach within animal welfare, including exploring support options for military members who foster dogs while deployed. He acknowledged that while the cancer and literacy pillars operate somewhat independently, the animal welfare segment requires ongoing development and cultivation.
“That’s honestly not something that I’ve done with the foundation at this point but would love to learn more about it. Trying to just expand the animal welfare portion of the foundation. The other two pillars – with cancer and reading – they are so far off and running with different causes, that is kind of doing itself, but the animal welfare portion, I’ve been trying to grow this last year, so definitely something to look into, and I think we have a resource with Julie (Case, CEO, Ultimate Canine Training) and those groups, so would definitely love to look into it.”
—Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver
Significance and Impact of Erik Jones’ Animal Welfare Efforts
By integrating his personal passion for dogs with his public platform, Erik Jones is raising awareness and funds to support animal welfare organizations, demonstrating dedication beyond the racetrack. The launch of the plushie as a fundraising tool during a major NASCAR event shows a strategic effort to engage fans and the broader community. This initiative not only supports specialized dog training programs but also highlights the important role such organizations play in enhancing the lives of animals and their families.
As the Erik Jones Foundation continues to develop this pillar, opportunities remain to forge new partnerships and expand programs, potentially including support for military foster dogs and further community outreach. This vibrant focus on animal welfare complements the foundation’s existing efforts in cancer research and literacy, presenting a well-rounded approach to philanthropy through Erik Jones’ leadership and enthusiasm.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. How did Erik Jones fracture his back?
A. Jones had a compression fracture in a lower spine bone after hitting the outside wall during a multi-car crash on April 21 at Talladega. He missed the next two races at Dover and Kansas.
