"She still tries to spike me sometimes. But she likes to run up my arm and stuff. It's been pretty cool for me," he said. "I took Shadow to the vet and they said she was the most social hedgehog they've seen in a long time. I was confused because she's really not that social."

Just like football, it's about the process. For Hines, part of the process has been understanding hedgehogs for what they are - and what they aren't.

"I'll be at work all day and sometimes, I just want to go home and see my hedgehog, hang out with her, cuddle with her, and she'll be in a ball - it's real sad sometimes," he said. "I want to sit and watch football with my hedgehog, but it doesn't really work like that."

Instead of trying to make her into something she's not, Hines has come to appreciate his pet for what makes her unique.