Puppy love! Animal lovers Kate Upton and Justin Verlander host a dog adoption event in Florida

Published: 01:27 GMT, 19 March 2017 | Updated: 01:40 GMT, 19 March 2017

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Kate Upton looked in her element when she hosted a dog adoption event alongside her fiance, Justin Verlander, in Florida on Saturday.

The self-confessed animal lover was seen cuddling up to dogs looking for forever homes at the Grand Slam Adoption Event With Wins For Warriors Foundation event in Lakeland.

Both Kate and her baseball player beau wore matching navy blue T-shirts to promote the cause, with the word 'adopt' printed across the front.

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Animal lover: Kate Upton hosted the Grand Slam Adoption Event With Wins For Warriors Foundation event in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday

It's the third consecutive year the couple have hosted the event, which also aims to help military veterans suffering from PTSD.

'This event brings together the dedicated efforts of three extraordinary non-profit organizations designed to serve the needs of others,' read a press release for the adoption drive. 'Together, they work to bring attention to the plight of the underserved and illustrate the benefits of animal-human bonds to overcome the harsh realities of life, specifically for military veterans battling PTSD and TBI.'

And the issue of animal adoption is clearly a cause close to both Kate's and Justin's hearts.

The pair are fur parents themselves to a boxer named Harley, and the blonde bombshell says her pooch has even developed a love of baseball like his 34-year-old dad.

Fur baby: The pair are already proud parents to a boxer named Harley. 'My boxer went to the field with Justin and saw this basket of baseballs, and he was literally in heaven and now he has a baseball obsession,' revealed Kate

Hosting duties: The Sports Illustrated stunner hosted the event alongside her baseball player beau, Justin Verlander

'My boxer went to the field with Justin and saw this basket of baseballs, and he was literally in heaven and now he has a baseball obsession,' the Sports Illustrated model told Us Weekly in March last year.

'He also will only let Justin throw the balls to him - apparently he only wants a professional pitcher to play catch with him. I’m not good enough. Even if I throw the ball, he’ll bring it back to Justin and be like, "She’s sweet for trying, but can you throw it now?"'

Kate admitted it's almost impossible for her to host the adoption drive without wanting to take all the dogs home herself.

Thirsty work: 'Hydration break... I'm Juliet with my Romeo,' Kate captioned this Instagram photo

Love at first sight: The pair seemed thrilled as they played with the dogs who were up for adoption at the event

'Justin keeps a keen eye on me at the event - he makes sure I don’t fall fast for a dog,' she told People last week.

And she's not the only one, confessing he sporty fiance is also a sucker for a puppy dog face.

'But actually, I have to keep a keen eye on him too, for the same reason!'

Keep in touch: 'Yes I FaceTime with my dog...' the gorgeous model captioned this hilarious Instagram photo

Barking mad: 'I would love to have 10 dogs,' Kate said, adding that Justin was enforcing a 'three-dog limit'

For a good cause: 'Bringing awareness to how great shelter dogs are and how important animals are to bringing people together, for happiness and for healing, it was an obvious choice for me,' she said of her involvement in the charity

If it were up to her, the 24-year-old says her house would be overrun by dogs.

'I would love to have 10 dogs,' she told E! Online in March last year. 'Justin is definitely an animal lover but he is definitely holding me back from my 10 dogs. He is putting a three-dog limit on it.'

And after adopting Harley, Kate says she understands exactly just how important the issue of animal adoption really is.

Putting the call out: The blonde bombshell shared a series of photos promoting the event on her Snapchat

Right at home: 'I'm a huge animal lover and I've always been. I was raised with dogs and horses and they were a huge part of my life'

Up for adoption: Some fans had ulterior motives for attending the adoption drive, with this young boy wanting to be adopted by the model

'A lot of shelter dogs get a bad rap, but it’s so important for people looking for dogs to check out shelters,' she added. 'I think it’s important for people to save an animal if they can.'

It's her lifelong love of animals which ultimately led the stunning star to get involved in the adoption drive.

'I'm a huge animal lover and I've always been,' she confessed. 'I was raised with dogs and horses and they were a huge part of my life. So getting in and supporting a cause for adopting dogs and bringing awareness to how great shelter dogs are and how important animals are to bringing people together, for happiness and for healing, it was an obvious choice for me.'