The Littlest Volunteers
Written By Jeff Wagenheim
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Grand Prize
Woof 'Em Down Dog Biscuits:
Zack and Thomas Eller, ages 13 and 8, Milton, Georgia
Duke must be the luckiest dog in Milton, Georgia. Not only was the boxer mix adopted from a pet rescue shelter by two brothers who volunteered there, but Duke (not shown; he's camera shy) also holds an enviable job: chief taste-tester for Woof 'Em Down Dog Biscuits, the nonprofit company founded by his owners, Zack and Thomas Eller.
How two boys created their own company can all be traced back to Zack's sixth birthday. With his party approaching, Zack's parents Tracy and Tom pointed to all the toys in his room and brought up the possibility of guests bringing pet food donations in lieu of presents. "Would you like to see how it feels to help someone with less than you for just this one birthday?" Mom asked. Apparently it felt good, because Zack has done it every birthday since. Thomas followed in his footsteps, as little brothers are wont to do, and over the years the Ellers have donated more than 1,000 pounds of dog food to the Atlanta Humane Society.
But "my birthday was only once a year," says Zack, "and I wanted to help out a little more." So when he was 10 and his brother 5, the boys began volunteering every Saturday at the Aiding and A-Petting shelter, fetching water for the dogs and playing with them. Karen Brinker, president of the shelter, says that while many shelters don't accept young volunteers because of liability concerns, she welcomed the Ellers for a personal reason: Having volunteered as a child herself, she knows firsthand how helping others builds character. "It gave me a sense of worth, a sense of purpose," says Brinker. "It was something to do other than come home, do homework, watch TV, and that's your life."
Zack and Thomas grew close to the homeless animals (hello Duke), and one day Zack asked their mom if they could make the dogs some treats. "I think it was the idea of them being homemade, from the heart," says Tracy. "Anybody could run to a store and buy a box of biscuits."
They created a recipe from ingredient lists they found online and showed up at the shelter with bags of freshly baked biscuits. No surprise the treats were a hit with the dogs, including ones being adopted that day; their owners happily bought biscuits to support the shelter's rescue work. Thus was born a fund-raising enterprise. Every week, batches of biscuits sold out. "The project took on a life of its own," says Tracy. Last spring, the boys launched woofemdowndogbiscuits.com and began selling their biscuits online.
As the business expanded, Zack and Thomas's friends joined the kitchen crew. One recent afternoon, they baked 500 biscuits — one boy mixing the dough, another rolling it out, another cutting out shapes, another basting the tops and sprinkling on sesame seeds. Mom stays mostly on the sidelines. "I made it clear from the start that this project is not mine. If they want to do it, they have to do it," says Tracy. Okay, Mom helps a little. "I end up vacuuming the floor," says Tracy. "My guys aren't great about cleaning up. When they're done baking, they're ready to go play."
So far, Thomas and Zack have raised more than $1,700 selling dog biscuits shaped like bones, fire hydrants, and doghouses.
Back to the Main List of 2008 Winners
