Four-year-old Jaxton Betschart is a big-hearted little boy who has always loved animals. And so, when his mom told him they could adopt a dog, he was over-the-moon excited.
Once they got to the shelter, Jaxton proved just how big his heart is when he gave up his allowance to help the dogs he saw.
For most kids, their allowance will be used for the latest toy or candy. Yet Elyse Betschart was amazed when her son Jaxton decided to do something more humanitarian with his savings by donating his money.
After bringing Jaxton to the Charleston Animal Society, he decided to pay the adoption fee for two pit bulls.
Tank, a dark gray pit bull, was one of Jaxton’s two sponsorship choices. The little boy was so excited to see Tank that he ran up to the front of his enclosure.
“Mommy! He’s big and chunky like me,” Jaxton told his mother, according to iHeartDogsInitially, Jaxton wanted to adopt Tank but the family was unable to due to breed restrictions on military housing.
After explaining to Jaxton that they couldn’t adopt the two pit bulls, Elyse told Jaxton that he could still help the pups find homes. Through a sponsorship program, Jaxton became Tank and Penelope’s Guardian Angel, paying for their adoption fees.
Penelope, the other pit bull, immediately caught Jaxton’s eye because of the cute spots on her head. From then on, Jaxton dubbed Penelope “Spots.”
“A lot of people don’t know that sponsorship is an option,” Elyse said to I Heart Dogs about her son’s decision, “that way you can actually tie that money to a face.”
Sponsoring a shelter animal means that through your charitable donation, these dogs will get spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, all necessary vaccines, flea prevention medicine, and even a de-worming treatment.
After a staff member of the Charleston Shelter posted Jaxton’s amazing story to Facebook, an overwhelming number of people responded and commented, asking how they too could help these animals find homes.
Thanks to Jaxton, Tank and Penelope were both quickly adopted!
Jaxton’s story quickly went viral and the shelter was flooded with sponsorships and also, amazingly enough, several adoptions.
Jaxton is a kind little boy who inspired others to give back. If you also want to help out dogs in your community, contact your local shelter to see if they have a sponsorship program.
Leave a Reply