Last month, Forest Crescent Primary School student Dean Morris created the online campaign called, Give Our Strays A Chance (GOSAC).
The aim was to raise awareness about the importance of donating to animal shelters and pounds, as part of a Primary Extension and Challenge (PEAC) assignment.
Dean’s dog Hooch, a three-year-old boxer and basset hound-cross, was the inspiration behind the campaign.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW‘A year and a bit ago my mum saw a picture of a dog in a cage with the title, ‘please save me’ because he was about to be put down as the shelter was full and he was in the pound,’ Dean said.
‘The pound had no windows and was total darkness, with cold concrete floors in winter and so hot in the summer.
‘When we got Hooch he couldn’t walk, his muscles were under developed and he was sick when we gave him food because he wasn’t used to it.’
The Morris family decided to give Hooch a home, nursed him back to health and he is now a normal, healthy dog.
Dean, who volunteers with Armadale Community Animal Group, decided all animals deserve the same chance as Hooch.
‘My life has changed forever seeing Hooch happy every morning and he has such a personality that would have been wasted,’ he said.
‘I wanted to start the campaign because it is sad that animals have to go through this.
‘They don’t deserve it. We should be taking better care of them; they have feelings just like us.’
The GOSAC campaign has attracted donations from businesses and strangers from across the world, while other people are sending in their before and after photographs of pets they have adopted from shelters and pounds.
Dean has been donating any money and pet items he receives to the Armadale Community Animal Rescue Group.
For more details, visit www.gosac.info