Old Dogs Get New Boost

When Ryan Ellis, Jaylen Carter, Sam Engel and Ryan Kenny met to decide to what charitable cause they wanted to devote their 8th grade Capstone project, they had no trouble quickly agreeing to pet rescue. Three of the boys own dogs and all four are aware of the challenges pets face when their owners abandon them or they are born without a home.

Baking dog treats to raise money proved to be both fun and complicated. The boys found a good recipe for peanut butter and bacon dog biscuits and made an assembly line to mix the dough, roll it out and cut it into dog bone and dog shapes. After a first batch accidentally used oatmeal sweetened with sucralose, they had to scrap all their biscuits and start over. They sampled their second batch and declared it delish.

On a surprisingly cold Saturday in April, the boys set up shop outside Pet Valu on High Ridge Road (who very nicely agreed to let them steal some treat action). Ryan Ellis' mom donated a batch of her delicious (human) cookies - frosted sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies - for the sale. After just a couple of hours, the boys had sold $200 worth of dog and human treats.

On May 18, they met Diane, the owner of Red Leash Rescue, to give her the money they had raised. The moment was made extra special because Diane brought along one of her senior dog rescues, Carl. Carl is a mini-chihuahua with only one eye who was happy to snuggle into each of the boys' arms. Diane was endlessly grateful for the boys' donation, telling them that it would go a long way for dog food and vet bills.

Red Leash Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit adult and senior dog rescue located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Their mission is to provide refuge, love and care to abandoned, surrendered or discarded dogs in our community.

The hardest part of the project came when the boys had to walk away without adopting a senior dog of their own. But they felt great to have made a tangible difference to a local pet rescue charity through their school project.