CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Alessandra Dalton started a pet sitting business when she was 10-years-old. Fast forward to today, two years later and she's made a sizable impact on the rescue animals in the community.
“I love dogs and cats, so I just decided to make a pet sitting page with the help of my mom and my dad," Dalton said. "So, I just kind of just decided to a do a pet sitting page because why not?”
Dalton didn't want to charge anyone, she was just happy to help the animals. However, people insisted on paying, and she decided to pay it forward, giving 50 percent of her earnings to Gulf Coast Humane Society (GCHS) and 10 percent to her church, Gulf Coast Christian Church.
“It makes me feel very warm inside because I just love dogs so much," she said. "So, it warms my heart to help them and stuff.”
“I was pretty surprised," Jackie McCullough said, public relations, marketing and fundraising manager at GCHS. "Like I said, a lot of kids do want to do stuff like that, but I don’t know that any of them have necessarily raised quite as much as Alessandra. She definitely is making waves and she must be very busy with her pet sitting business.”
In total, Dalton has donated over $800. McCullough said they use donations like this for any immediate needs. It could go towards things like leashes, collars and food at one time. Another time it could go towards outreach and enrichment programs.
“For the Gulf Coast Humane Society, well they need blankets, they need food for the dogs and the cats," Dalton said. "And so, I just really think that those donations they appreciate it a lot.”
“Yes, we also get some money from adoptions and sales of tickets to events like our big Pawfest event we just had, but the biggest by far amount of support that we receive is through donations, from mostly individuals," said McCullough. "So, that is incredibly important to us, that is really what keeps us alive.”
Dalton has grown up with her two dogs since she was born. She said she started at an early age caring for them with walks, trying to swim with them and a lot of love.
If you're in need of a pet sitter or dog walker you can contact Dalton on her Facebook Page.
