This 13-year-old boy helps shelter cats and dogs get noticed and eventually adopted by giving them stylish bow ties to wear.
Animal shelters often encounter the issue of cramped space due to the number of cats and dogs that are rescued and surrendered but never find a forever home, one boy from New Jersey is aware of this problem, so he decided to do something about it.
Despite his young age, Darius Brown has found a way to use his talents for the betterment of animal lives. To help our furry companions get adopted faster, he creates handmade bow ties for shelter cats and dogs to get the attention of possible owners.
Darius’ big heart and determination were influenced by the obstacles that he himself had to overcome. At age 2, he was diagnosed with speech, comprehension, and fine motor skills delay, but he rose above these challenges.
When he was 8 years old, he began to help his older sister cut fabric for bows to help develop his fine motor skills. That’s when his interest in making bow ties started. At just 11 years old, Darius founded the pet couture company “Beaux and Paws”, which specializes in unique and fashionable bow ties for people and their pet dogs and cats.
In 2017, Darius was extremely moved by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Irma, where he learned that some rescue dogs were being displaced.
Heartbroken over this unfortunate incident, Darius decided to donate bow ties to shelter cats and dogs, in the hopes that the attractive accessories would help them get adopted faster.
During this time, he learned that thousands of dogs are euthanized every year because of lack of space in shelters. This spurred his desire to dedicate his life to helping shelter cats and dogs as much as he could. So far, he has donated countless bow ties to animal shelters across the USA and UK.
Darius’s good deeds didn’t go unnoticed. In 2018, former president Barack Obama wrote him a letter commending him for his commitment to community service.
He has also received numerous awards such as the Leadership Award from “Leaders of the Future No Limits, Outstanding Achievement Award” from the WDIB Conference, the Youth Changer Award from “Excel Honors”, and he will be receiving the Jasmina Anema Youth Award from the “Black Cotton Foundation” in July 2019.
With all that he’s done, Darius still has another endeavor that he wants to pursue – to be able to visit more than 5 shelters and adoption centers across the USA so he can help more dogs find their forever homes.
Darius’ sister, Dazhai, set up a GoFundMe inviting people to contribute to her brother’s mission of helping more homeless dogs as well as providing them with his stylish bow ties.
“He motivates and inspires me everyday. He is such an incredible young man and I will do everything I can to help him on his journey. I’m supporting him in his cause 100% and I hope you will join me. No donation is too small,” wrote 21-year-old Dazhai.
What an outstanding young man! You may follow Darius on Instagram and Facebook to be updated on his latest projects. Also watch the news video by PIX11 News below about Darius’ inspiring mission.