Wednesday 24th March 2021 – Spring & Bowties for Dogs

Spring is officially here! It's my favourite season, so I'm very thrilled! 

Days are getting longer, and warmer, flowers are starting to bloom, and it feels like the whole world is getting ready to emerge from the darkness that was last year. (That sounds a little bit dramatic, but I'm not entirely wrong!)

The sun is setting later and later each day, which if you're lucky, means you can catch the sunrise after you've finished work for the day. And if watching the sunset is your thing. (I love a pink sunset!) 

There are flowers absolutely everywhere! My mum takes me on a walk every evening so we can admire the view, but I'm more enchanted by the beautiful flowers that are blooming. She also loves magnolias, so I always keep a lookout for them, and we have so many daffodils growing in our garden. There's so much more colour to the world. It's so lovely! It really does feel like the world has been asleep for so long and now it's starting to wake up and share all its beauty with us. (Spring is the season for nature to show off all of its wonders.) 

Birds are singing their little tunes, and ducks and swans are mating. Springtime, for a lot of animals, is mating season. That's why you hear the birds a lot more as they are trying to attract mates. I say this because I see a lot of ducks and swans, and my mum has two birdhouses, so I'm very aware of birds. It's all very sweet!

But, this blog post is not just about the joy that spring brings me. It's also about a young boy called Darius Brown. 

At just 14 years old, Darius Brown is making a name for himself. At the age of eight, he started to learn how to sew, thanks to his older sister Dazhai, which also improved his fine motor skills. Now, he spends his time creating bowties for dogs who are to be adopted. Darius is also the founder of Beaux & Paws, which is his brand of handmade bowties.

This all started in 2017 after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and more. Darius wanted to help displaced dogs look dapper and get adopted. Once he'd seen how happy the bowties had made the dogs, and the people working at the shelters, he decided that he would make bowties for an animal shelter in every state in the US. 

Darius likes to focus his attention on older dogs and ones with disabilities as he knows that they have a harder time being adopted. Thankfully, shelter directors have acknowledged that Darius's hard work has helped more dogs get adopted. 

With over 66,000 followers on Instagram, I think it's safe to say that Darius is making an impact with his wonderful idea, and hopefully, getting lots more dogs adopted and into loving homes. (He even makes little bowties for cats!)

So, I hope that either spring or the news of dogs in bowties has brought you a little happiness. 

Cole, Judy. “This Teen Makes Tiny Bow Ties for Shelter Dogs to Help Them Look Spiffy and Get Adopted.” Good News Network, 22 Mar. 2021, www.goodnewsnetwork.org/darius-brown-makes-bow-ties-for-rescue-dogs/. 

Brown, Darius. “About Sir Darius Brown.” Sir Darius Brown, www.sirdariusbrown.com/about.