Bills linebacker Tyler Matakevich gaining thrill from charitable work with dogs

PITTSFORD, NY (WHEC) – Bills Linebacker Tyler Matakevich is a tough and gritty on the field but as soon as the uniform comes off a different side of him comes out.

"I’ve always loved like dogs and stuff," he said. "I always had dogs growing up and we never adopted them."

That all changed six years ago, when a friend’s family asked him to be a part of a photo shoot for "Show Your Soft Side," a non-for profit supporting sheltered dogs and cats. It was something that Matakevich jumped at to be a part of.

Hey, #BillsMafia! You know #BuffaloBills LB @44_Matakevich’s gonna be at Pawject Runway TONIGHT here in Bmore, right? In case you can’t make it, you can still bid on his #MyCauseMyCleats custom cleats in our online auction: https://t.co/7G6zmkQVjy. Proceeds help pets in need! ?? pic.twitter.com/PEpUAeFSFx

— Soft Side (@SoftSide1) April 29, 2022

"Yeah, I mean, they do they do an excellent job of just bringing awareness, you know what I mean," he said. "To abandon abused dogs, just trying to find them homes."

He found both of his dogs he’s got now through that organization. That’s made him rethink how to get one.

"Once I got involved with which, show your soft side, like, you know, I realize, like, you can always go and buy a dog, you know, but there’s so many dogs that are in shelters and stuff like that," Matakevich said.

And that message is spreading around the team.

"I got more and more teammates every year really starting to get involved and just to see them starting to do it and stuff with me. I mean, it’s as awesome," he add.

At some point soon Matakevich, wants to gather a lot of the guys on the team who have dogs and do something with them. Whether that’s fun, or charitable, it’s all designed at raising awareness for the noble cause that he stands behind. To learn more about the work he’s involved in, click here.