See How This High Schooler Started a Toy Drive for Animals

Dylan Hand, a high school senior from Fruita, Colorado, knows that something as simple as a tennis ball or rope can mean the world to an animal in a shelter: That’s why he started a toy drive for his Scout project!

Dylan noticed that many Scout projects focus mostly on helping humans and wanted to make sure dogs and cats had a helping paw as well. 🐾 Shelters that take in all animals in need (aka open admission shelters) give animals care and safety until they are adopted into a new home. Still, imagine how confused and anxious many of these animals feel before being adopted. That’s why Dylan built three donation bins and set them up around his area. Now, people can drop off toys to help comfort dogs and cats during their shelter stays!

I was hoping that I could give animals without the love from a home an opportunity to feel fully loved.  — Dylan

If you want to help dogs and cats in your area, Dylan is a great inspo source. You can organize your own donation drive as he did, or check with your local shelter to see if they need toys, beds, food, or other supplies. And if you want to welcome an animal into your family, take it from Dylan and his dogs, Mascot and Zed—adopt animals, don’t buy them.

“Pet” stores and breeders have another animal bred for each one they sell, which fuels the animal overpopulation crisis. Plus, buying animals props up suppliers like puppy mills that warehouse dogs in miserable conditions. But when you adopt from a reputable shelter, you’re giving a homeless animal the family they need without having any others bred into the world. ✅ It’s a no-brainer.

I hope to, at some point, be able to abolish puppy mills… —  Dylan

For helping give animals in shelters the toys they need, peta2 is presenting Dylan with our Hero to Animals Award!

Thanks for your hard work, Dylan: You’ve made a difference for so many animals. 🥳

*****

Another hero to animals made a splash in California when he saved a dog from drowning— check out Mateo’s story!