Izaak Parsons, a nine-year-old boy from Sudbury, really loves animals.
“I really love animals,” he told Sudbury.com. “From the moment I was born.”
He loves dogs and cats especially, but really, “I just love animals.”
Now, he is putting that love into his business, Cause4Paws, with a portion of the proceeds from the dog and cat bandanas he makes (with the help of his mom) donated to Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre.
And on Aug. 10, with the help of matching donations from his mom, Dr. Tiffany Parsons of Parsons Dermatology, Izaak gave $1,360 to the centre.
He told Sudbury.com he even got a tour when he made the donation, and we asked his favourites of the animals receiving care.
“I think it was either the turtles, the raccoons, or the baby flying squirrels,” he said.
Because Izaak really loves animals.
His bandanas are personalized with the name of your dog or cat, and the colour of the fabric is yours to choose. Each bandana is $15, or two for $25, and $5 from each one is donated to the wildlife centre.
Why did he decide to start the business? Well, to quote his mom: “He really loves animals.”
Parsons said at Christmas, Izaak said he wanted to start a business to help animals, and they put their heads together to come up with something he would love, that would also be manageable for him. He is, after all, nine years old.
“He's really good at making them,” said Parsons of the bandanas. “I do the computer design and then he prints them out, he knows how to take the pictures out and put them on the scarves. So he's become pretty good at it.”
She said she’s pretty proud of her son. And not just because he loves animals.
“I think it's nice just for kids to find ways to give back, especially in today's world where a lot of things are very electronic-based,” said Parsons. “He also wanted to put the word out there that if he can do it, lots of other kids can do it, too.”
You can find Izaak’s designs on his Instagram page, @Cause4Paws.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com.