Gold Award Spotlight: Furry Futures
Meet Abi, who is currently a sophomore at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake and an inspiring Girl Scout Senior from Troop 673 with a love for animals! Abi earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for her Take Action project titled “Furry Futures.” Driven by a deep compassion for animals, particularly pit bulls and older dogs who often face adoption challenges, Abi collaborated with Chesapeake Animal Services’ Outreach Coordinator Kasey Gallardo to shine a light on these furry friends in need.
“I chose to aim my Gold Award to address the issue of animals, specifically pit bulls and older dogs, that were not getting adopted. When I went to Chesapeake Animal Services to talk with Kasey (Gallardo,) she informed us of a bunch of problems that their shelter was facing in certain types of animals and breeds not getting adopted. My goal for my Gold Award was to help out Kasey’s shelter, and to help her less-adoptable animals in getting a forever loving home.”
Through her initiative, Abi created resourceful pamphlets and eye-catching posters to educate the community on the adoption myths that these pets face, particularly the stigmas surrounding pit bulls and black cats. Her hard work culminated in a special event at the Chesapeake Animal Services Adoption Center, where she, with the help of her family and troop, organized fun activities, like creating snuffle mats for pets in need. The event also provided a chance for guests to meet adorable adoptable animals.
“I created four pit bull posters, two cat posters, a heartworm-positive dog poster, a senior dog poster, and an FIV-positive cat poster. I wanted my project to mainly focus on dogs, in helping their pit bulls, older dogs, and less fortunate dogs. As posted on the shelter’s website, 14 out of 18 of the dogs available for adoption are some type of bull breed. Another problem this shelter faced is not getting their black cats adopted because of the black cat stigma. In fact, 34 out of 54 cats for adoption on the shelter’s website had some type of black on them, which is more than half.”
Abi’s commitment to making a difference is a Girl Scout reminder of the impact one young person can have on many lives. Way to go, Abi!
