Birch was a good dog.
The 10-year-old Portuguese Water Dog liked to swim, hike in the woods, and play in the snow. He even escaped his family home near Guelph Line and Dundas once and took a solo trip to Terra Greenhouses up the road – but made it back before dinner on his own, to the relief of the search party looking for him, but with a few burrs nestled into his fur.
When Birch suddenly passed away at the beginning of May, seven-year-old Paisley was distraught, missing her family pet. Through the tears and sadness, she wanted to make other dogs in Burlington as happy as Birch was.
“I want to help dogs because my dog had a great life and I want other dogs to have a great life too,” Paisley said on a video call, holding a stuffed dog that looks just like Birch.
Paisley, with the help of her parents, started a GoFundMe to raise money to purchase dog toys for the animals at the Burlington Humane Society. Her original goal was $500, which did not take long to hit. At the time of writing, the total amount is more than $1,300.
Her dad Adam Roberts and mom Jen O’Brien spoke with the Humane Society, who were enthusiastic about the idea – but had other plans for how the money could be put to good use.
“They can pick the things they need,” O’Brien said. “They said they can do more with dollars than what any individual can. A lot of the animals have special dietary requirements or care.”
There will still be toys donated, the family said, along with bones from the local butcher shop. Paisley specifically wants to pick out Kongs, since they were Birch’s favourite to play with. There are also some limitations on what the Humane Society is allowed to accept.
The campaign has gone above and beyond what Roberts thought was possible, with the figure soaring past the original goal very quickly.
“We thought it was going to be maybe $50 worth of toys when it first started,” he said. “We never thought it would be to the point of where it is today, we are very proud.”
Paisley is also doing one jumping jack for every dollar raised, with friends joining in to help keep her motivated. O’Brien says she has been on top of the jumping jacks, and only has a few hundred left to do.
The campaign on GoFundMe is expected to remain open for another week. Donors who give $20 or more will receive a tax receipt.
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