D
arius Brown was diagnosed with comprehension, speech, and fine motor skills delays when he was two-years-old. 10 years later, despite what doctors told him, he is well known for his creativity and manual skills.Today, Brown makes the coolest bowties for shelter animals, saving them from euthanasia. He has been making bowties since he was eight years old, and Brown also wears the bowties he makes, every day.After the disaster brought by Hurricane Harvey and Irma in 2017, thousands of animals were separated from their owners and were brought to shelters. Due to the influx of orphaned animals, pet shelters, especially kill shelters, had to euthanize some of the animals after homing them for a certain amount of time; some shelters with holding periods as short as three days to avoid overcrowding.
“All the animals that we have here are going to end up being euthanized to make room,” Robyn Urman from Pet ResQ said in a 2017 interview with Country Living. According to Urman, the number of animals that were brought in was “scary crazy,” causing the shelter volunteers to worry.
At that time, Brown, being a pet lover, knew he had to do something. So, he made bowties for the shelter dogs and donated them in bulk to the New York ASPCA for the dogs to wear. Fortunately, Brown’s plan worked, and the dogs got adopted once they sported Brown’s bowties.
Brown’s kindness, talent, and efforts did not go unnoticed; several publications and TV shows took an interest in Brown’s work after hearing his story. Even former President Barack Obama reached out to Brown, encouraging him to continue his good deeds in a letter applauding Brown’s company, Beaux and Paws.
At first, Beaux and Paws, a pet couture company, was created to help shelter dogs get adopted. Now, Brown hopes to expand his business online and continue to donate the bowties he makes to animal shelters in the US and UK. Below, take a look at Brown’s bowties and some of the cuties who wear them!
