A boy sewed 7,000 bow ties for shelter dogs

Darius Brown was eight when he watched his older sister Dazhai making bows on her sewing machine and decided he wanted in. She taught him to sew. His fondness for dressing sharply earned him the nickname Sir Darius. Two years later, hearing that dogs orphaned by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma were being moved from Texas to New York City, he had an idea. What if the dogs wore bow ties in their adoption photos? He brought 20 of them to the ASPCA in New York City and kept going. Now 19, he has designed and distributed more than 7,000 bow ties and helped raise over $500,000 for shelters and adoption campaigns. He wrote a book and launched a company, Beaux and Paws, and received letters from two presidents. "Every animal deserves an opportunity to be loved," he said. The bow ties, for the record, are optional. The dogs seem fine either way.