To say that Amanda Balionis has vivid interests wouldn’t be a lie. She is everywhere, from helping build stories around the star and lesser-known golfers to providing safe homes to canines. In May, after close to 100 dogs entered the Animal Care & Control shelter in Charlotte, she requested residents to help her find them new homes, saying, “your community needs your help!” but not without advising, “PLEASE look at your local shelter before going to a breeder.” Now, she’s doing it again.

Amanda Balionis introduced her new foster dog, Manny, to her social media followers on July 15, describing the 2-year-old brown pup as adorable, housebroken, and loving. A week later, on July 23, she shared an update about Manny’s rescue from an overpopulated shelter in South Carolina and his new location in Nantucket, with a sense of urgency. Now, just a week after that, Balionis is saying goodbye to Manny, as the lovable pup has found his forever family.

In her recent Instagram story, the CBS reporter shared, “Okay so I’ve been crying all morning because Manny is likely getting adopted on Saturday (!!!) and it’s always the hardest part to say goodbye even though it’s what we have working towards. ANWAYS… I sit down on my flight and see who my seatmate is. …” In another story, she shared a picture of an adorable fluff dog, saying, “Just the most perfect flufball of happiness. The dog universe knew exactly what I needed 😂.”

Of course, her updates come during important PGA Tour moments. What moments? Well, for instance, the PGA Tour is currently playing last of its regular season tournaments, the 2025 Wyndham Championship. And the weekend rounds, as per the official updates, will be covered by CBS, Balionis’ employer. So, it is likely the iconic CBS reporter is traveling to her new and final PGA Tour destination for now.

On the other hand, her love for canines and her hope to secure safe homes for them isn’t new. At all. In 2024, Balionis gave a similar update about another foster dog, Jenga. Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center in Florida introduced Jenga on Thanksgiving, and Balionis’ mother gifted her the puppy to care for until they found a forever home. Soon after, she updated her Instagram, saying, “For those of you who fell in love with Jenga like we did when we fostered her for Thanksgiving… she’s been adopted!!”

Aside from that, in 2020, she established Puppies and Golf, a non-profit organization that helps rescue dogs. Puppies & Golf focuses on rescuing and sheltering stray puppies while also offering financial support to adoptive families to help cover medical bills. Additionally, Puppies & Golf collaborates with other organizations to train service dogs that aid army veterans coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And the efforts of this non-profit gained such widespread popularity that even the PGA Tour rallied behind her to show support.

PGA Tour extended helping hands towards Puppies and Golf

At the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the sponsor partnered with Amanda Balionis’ Puppies and Golf, and that’s exactly where the CBS reporter’s gratitude comes from. Following the announcement, Amanda Balionis shared a heartfelt post on Instagram about her experience at the 2025 Zurich Classic.

She expressed her gratitude to the tournament’s hosts and sponsors, saying, “New Orleans I love ya! Huge thanks to @zurich_classic @zurichinsurance for another tremendous week, to @titosvodka for helping us connect New Orleans with @animalrescueno through @puppiesandgolf all week and to this city for being endless fun. Onto Dallas! ✈️.” 

As the President and Founder of Puppies & Golf, Balionis worked closely with Animal Rescue New Orleans during the tournament. She visited the shelter, collaborated with them on Instagram, and helped bring attention to their mission of aiding animals and finding them forever homes.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka supported this initiative by facilitating a connection between Balionis’s organization and Animal Rescue New Orleans. Notably, the 2025 Zurich Classic also partnered with a special group focused on social welfare, further emphasizing the event’s commitment to giving back to the community. So, in essence, if there’s a dog in need of rescue, you can always count on Amanda Balionis and her non-profit organization, Puppies & Golf – they’re paws-itive they’ll be there to lend a helping hand (or paw)!