One boy turned his birthday into a terruffic opportunity to give back to dogs and cats at shelters.
Dalton Shaw, a 5-year-old animal-lover from Savanna, Illinois, celebrated his birthday this past weekend. But instead of asking for presents, he selflessly asked guests who attended his bowling party to bring supplies for rescue dogs and cats at local shelters.
The boy was flooded with items for the rescue animals and he took an adorable photo -- which his father shared on Imgur -- posed in front of all the pet food he received from his party, capturing his excitement over the donations.
"He just has such a big heart," Stephanie Shaw, Dalton's mother, said. "He was so excited."
Shaw told HuffPost that the family has given back to local shelters in the past, collecting blankets and towels for animals in need. She said that because the boy had received a lot of toys and presents for Christmas, she suggested they do something a little different for his birthday and give back. That's when the 5-year-old said he wanted to help the animals.
Dalton not only collected large amounts of food for the animals, he also received about $255 in donations for the shelters -- something his mother said he was ecstatic about.
"The response was overwhelming," Shaw said. "I had expected a little bag of treats from people here and there."
Though his parents asked Dalton, who has two rescue dogs and two rescue cats himself, if he wanted a personal present, the generous 5-year-old declined and just asked for money to help the rescue animals.
Dalton and his family will be reaching out to Heartland Pet Welfare, Carroll County Humane Society and JoDaviess County Humane Society to arrange for the drop-offs and Shaw said they plan on hand-delivering all the items.
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