Paying It Forward One Canine At A Time

Jathan and his Little Brother visit the local animal shelter to give the residents there a little TLC. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

Today my new Little Brother and I went out on our first outing, and one of the things we definitely have in common is our love for animals. Although he doesn’t have a dog of his own yet, he told me he loves poodles and chihuahuas, and likes petting and playing with the pets his grandparents and neighbors have. So a visit to my favorite local animal shelter seemed like a great way to get the ball rolling in our relationship.

One of the things I like about Big Brothers Big Sisters is that the organization encourages matches to explore learning about and volunteering with other charities in the area. In fact, this year they are sponsoring the Pay It Forward Challenge, where we have to find a way to do a random act of kindness each month.

Since we just started our match, I knew the animals at the City of Carrollton Animal Adoption Center would definitely welcome some play time, so we stopped by to visit with some of the current residents like King (pictured above), a terrier mix with a sweet disposition and a penchant for belly rubs. The dogs loved getting out of their pens and getting the one-on-one time with us, and my Little ate it up. The only downside to the outing was that by the time we left, he wanted to bring King home with him!

Now we’re working on what our next random act of kindness will be. Do you have any suggestions for things fourth graders can do? I’m all ears! My Little and I are learning together as we go along, so any recommendations are definitely appreciated.