Hayley Beane and Lindsey Hauschka became close friends during their three shared years in Buffalo. When Stephen Hauschka was released by the Bills in late August, Beane – the wife of Bills general manager Brandon Beane – went to lunch with Lindsey to support her in a difficult time.
One of the subjects that came up was the Hauschkas' program with the SPCA Serving Erie County, "Hauschpups." Lindsey expressed her disappointment with the program possibly coming to an end.
"I said, 'Check, that's off your list now. Done. So, that's something you don't have to worry about," Hayley Beane said.
Hayley and Brandon have taken the baton from the Hauschkas and continued the program, now called "Bills Muttfia," for the the 2020 season. For each touchdown the Bills score at home, the Beanes will cover the adoption fees for an animal at the SPCA serving Erie County.
The first group of "draftees" are available for adoption now following the Bills' three-touchdown performance on Sunday: a bonded pair of chihuahua mixes named Bianca and Boo Boo, a one-year-old kitten named Kira, and a turtle named Blueberry. Visit YourSPCA.org/BillsMuttfia for more information.
New Muttfia members will be announced on the SPCA's social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) at noon on the day after each home game. The program is open to all animals, from cats and dogs to birds, reptiles, and even farm animals.
"We kind of covered it all this week," Hayley said.
The transition was natural given the Hauschkas' and the Beanes' shared love for animals. Brandon grew up with both dogs and cats in his home. Hayley attributes her love for animals to her father, who would sometimes come home with cats he found roaming and thought looked underfed.
"Sometimes we would keep them and sometimes we would find a home for them," Hayley said. "I don't know, he just had a gift. I remember he, at one point, could feed a squirrel an acorn from his mouth. Squirrels normally don't even come up to you. So, I kind of got my love of animals from him."
The Beanes adopted their first rescue dog, Jake, after they got married. They now have two rescue dogs in their family: Bodie, 11, and Peanut, 8.
Hayley said she picked up signals throughout the process of her and Brandon deciding to leave Carolina – where the couple had spent their whole lives – for Buffalo, little moments she refers to as "God winks." One such moment revolved around Bodie, who shared a name with team owner Terry and Kim Pegulas' late dog.
"During the interview process, Terry Pegula asks Brandon if we had any animals," Hayley said. "He said, 'Yeah, we do, his name is Bodie.' Terry said, 'What? Bodie? Bodie was our dog.' That was a cool little thing that happened."
Peanut was rescued at age 2 after being accidentally hit by his previous owners' car. The owners intended to put the dog to sleep, but the vet said he could live if they were to amputate his leg. When the owners said no, the vet worked to find him a new home.
"I remember when we first got Peanut my boys would say, 'Mom, how could somebody not want him?" Hayley said. "How could somebody not want to take care of him?"
Hayley said the dogs have brought true joy to the Beane household, a gift she is now trying to share with other families.
"Brandon will say, no matter what kind of craziness has happened at work, what kind of stressors the day has brought or what kind of mood you come home in, they come running to you and it just immediately is like a stress reliever," Hayley said. "It makes you happy."
