11-Year-Old Boy Spends His Free Time Bathing Stray Dogs So They Can Be Adopted

Kids aren’t usually aware of how important it is to take time out of your day to give back. Instead, they choose to spend their days playing, watching TV, or otherwise entertaining themselves.

And that’s completely normal. But, this 11-year-old from Brazil chose to spend his Saturdays a little differently than his friends. Thiago lives in Antônio Prado in Rio Grande do Sul. He has always loved animals and has always wanted to do something for them.

He figured early on that he can’t bring them all home, so he found another way to help them out. Every Saturday, he gives homeless dogs baths so people would look at them differently when they pass them on the street. At the end of 2020, he told his dad about his idea and together they started the project “Sou de rua mas to limpinho” (“I’m homeless but I’m clean”).

Of course, the project wasn’t smooth from the start. Catching stray dogs is hard, as most of them are scared of people. So, they started bathing the rescues from the NGO Noah’s Ark. After each bath, the dogs get a photoshoot with Thiago, so they can have better chances of getting adopted.

Thiago’s father edits the photos and posts them on Instagram. So far, most of the dogs Thiago helps end up getting adopted. This gives him and his dad all the motivation they need to continue the project. Thiago hopes he can change the way people view adoption. He wants to show them that stray dogs deserve as much love as any other dog, and no one should ever be afraid to adopt.

And, he encourages people that can’t adopt to volunteer or help stray dogs in any way they can.

Image Credit: Instagram