If he’s not stacking cards and racking up scores in solitaire, strumming his acoustic guitar or teaching himself to play the piano, then first-year Phoenix Rising FC right-back Darnell King is most likely running in circles, trying his hardest to entertain the newest member of his family.

Havoc Henry King, or Hank for short, keeps the 2018 USL All-League Second Team defender about as busy as any professional athlete could be during the COVID-19 pandemic — waking him early, and not letting him rest until the wee hours of the night.

“He’s a very energetic dog,” King said. “I’ve been keeping up with him every day, spending hours on hours with him, just learning the ropes and teaching him new tricks.”

King, 29, and his wife, Kim, plan to welcome a baby of their own into the world down the road, but, for now, they’ve settled on the next best thing — raising a puppy.

“Everybody’s expecting us to go and try and have a kid, but we thought we’d get a dog first,” King said. “I told her this is kind of a gateway. People are expecting things, so maybe in a year or a couple years we’ll see something else come up.”

Havoc isn’t any ordinary canine, though. He’s what King calls the “best of both worlds” because he is half Rottweiler and half cattle dog.

“I grew up with Rottweilers and my wife raised Australian cattle dogs. I was sold right there,” King said. “It just fits (us) perfectly.”

Rising FC’s starting goalkeeper, Zac Lubin, also recently extended a family invitation to an adorable, furry friend named Lennie, who is half pit bull and half heeler.

“I’ve not been bored by any means,” Lubin said. “She’s made it a lot of fun.”

Lubin picked Lennie — named after musician John Lennon and the Old English phrase Lennon, which means ‘lover’ — out of a brand-new litter of puppies from Desert Tails Shelter in Scottsdale on March 1, less than a week before the first regular-season match of the 2020 campaign.

Initially, Lubin shouldered all of the inherent responsibilities of caring for a pet. But, once the USL suspended operations because of the coronavirus outbreak, Lubin’s girlfriend, Brenna, moved from Chicago down to the desert. Since then, Lennie’s growth and training has required teamwork.

“I was raising her on my own for a week-and-a-half… and I’ll tell you what, it was hard. Eating and drinking for me became nonexistent,” Lubin said. “The first day or two I was cramping up just because I (didn’t) even have a second to focus on hydrating.”

Now, while Lubin studies film with teammates via Zoom, and analyzes transitional moments in a match between Liverpool and Manchester City, his girlfriend is able to take Lennie for a stroll along the canal trail behind their apartment building near Tempe Town Lake.

“Lennie needs constant attention,” Lubin said. “The last thing I want to do is lock her in her kennel to be on a call or be in a meeting, so having Brenna here to be able to walk her, hold her and play with her while I’m trying to work … it’s been a big team effort.”

King compared his experience of discovering Havoc at Arizona Small Dog Rescue in Phoenix to his first time car-shopping. A few details stood out, and the rest was history.

“We didn’t expect to just leave with a car, but we left with a car,” said King, noting this time the car came in the form of a tiny four-legged animal.

King also was naturally attracted to a defining heart-shaped spot on the right side of Havoc’s body that can be easily seen when he’s stretched out, laying on the ground. The Tampa Bay native said he knew then, that Havoc was a pretty special pup.

Landing Havoc felt like fate for King, in part because he happened to be the perfect blend of breeds, but also because at one point during the selection process, King’s name was 65th on a long list of applicants.

Luckily, after exchanging emails with the rescue and explaining a set of circumstances that demonstrated how much time King would have on his hands to train and raise the puppy, his name was bumped to the top of the order.

“We were just kind of like, ‘Oh snap, all right, let’s go check out this puppy’…we must have said something that sparked her interest,” said King, adding he is not certain he would have pursued getting a dog now, if a regular season return was not in jeopardy.

Both players are maximizing extra time with the latest additions to their families, and in return their soon-to-be-not-so-small pups are helping them stay positive amid a drought of certainty.

“The days go by pretty quickly,” King said. “He takes a lot of the stuff that is going on in the world, kind of off my mind. He doesn’t know what’s going on, so he’s always happy, (and) it just brings (me) joy.”

Lubin wasn’t dead set on returning home with a rambunctious little one more than a month-and-a-half ago, but now he couldn’t imagine this period without her. Lennie is outgoing, social — loves to be petted and play with other dogs — and has a knack for taking naps in funny positions.

“Between her, and having Brenna (here), it feels good. I haven’t felt isolated like a lot of people are,” said Lubin, pointing out Lennie’s presence has been a blessing. “She just brightens up everyone’s day, not just ours, but everyone she comes in contact with.”

King said Havoc is already showing signs of becoming a strong and powerful dog, but until he’s reached every bit of his eventual 40-plus pound frame, they’ll wrestle with each other, and King will continue to show him who is boss.

And, once Havoc receives all of his vaccinations, and social distancing orders retreat, Lubin and King will get together to let their quasi-kids meet.

“They’ll probably be puppy buddies growing up,” said King, excited at the prospects of venturing beyond the square patch of grass adjacent to his relatively new home out west.

King is rightfully bummed that his debut season with a new club hasn’t gone the way he expected. But, he reaffirms the fact that Rising FC players are hungry to jump back into action whenever their number is called. They’re not ready, yet, to simply let bygones be bygones and move on. They still, collectively, have a 2020 USL Championship Final trophy on their mind — and they’re ready to work for it, King said.

“Obviously, it sucks not being able to do what we love to do. But you try and (get) through it with other things in life," he said.

For now, that means Havoc and Lennie will soak up both players’ and their significant others’ undivided attention. They are, after all, man's best friend.

Reach the reporter at Rob.kleifield@arizonarepublic.com or at (480) 268-1903. Follow his Twitter @RobKleifield

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