海角大神

Bow ties are whimsical. They鈥檙e colorful. They鈥檙e unusual. Put on a bow tie, and you鈥檙e saying, in essence, 鈥淟ook at me!鈥�

Maybe that鈥檚 why lots of celebrities have worn them. Charlie Chaplin, for instance. Winston Churchill. Donald Duck.

Bottom line: They get attention. And who needs attention? Who might be able to better their position in life if they can attract a second look?

Homeless dogs and cats, that鈥檚 who.

Enter , a teenager who lives in Newark, New Jersey. When he was 8, his big sister taught him to sew bow ties, in part to help him learn to surmount some physical challenges. A few years later he heard that hundreds of pets had been left homeless in Florida and Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Irma. He realized that bow ties could help these animals stand out in shelters, give them a bit of personality, and help them get adopted.

So he donated a batch of dog-sized bow ties to a New York City animal shelter. They worked great and he鈥檚 never looked back.

Over the years he鈥檚 donated about 600 handmade bow ties to shelters in eight states. His mom helped him set up a where people can order bow ties for their own pets or make donations toward his charity work. It鈥檚 got lots of photos of snappily bow-tied pets 鈥� mostly canines 鈥� getting adopted into forever homes.

鈥淎 well-dressed dog. That will make people smile,鈥� he .