Four years ago, Senior Lauren Gariss and her family adopted a dog named Lucy from a local shelter. Gariss can still recall when she first set eyes on the young Rottweiler mix, with its brown and black coat and soft brown eyes. But she also remembers how scared the little fuzz ball was. And she can’t forget the rope burns around the dog’s legs.
“When we got her, you could see she had been tied up and she had been abused,” Gariss said. “She was just the most timid little thing.”
Because of the caring home Lucy has found, the dog is still alive today. Gariss now hopes to promote pet adoption and prevent animal abuse, an issue that hits close to home for her with her current Girl Scout project.
Gariss has been a member of Girls Scouts of America for 10 years now. For her latest project, she is working with the Highland Village Animal Rescue and Flower Mound Humane Society to obtain her Gold Award, an honor similar to becoming an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
“I am really hoping that it will bring more awareness to the local organizations,” Gariss said. “I am also hoping to promote adoption because I know there are a lot of animals that are put down just because they don’t get adopted.”
Gariss will collect pet supplies, like food and toys, until the end of March. She said students are welcome to help, and she has already raised roughly 50 bags of pet supplies and an additional $200 to go towards the two animal organizations.
“I am also going to go get building supplies so I can make cat climbers and dog beds,” Gariss said.
Gariss has even enlisted the help of a school honor society. The English Honor Society has joined forces with her in gathering pet supplies and other donations. EHS sponsor teacher Wendi Spurgeon said she is very supportive of what Gariss is doing. Spurgeon has offered service hours to members of EHS who bring in supplies for Gariss’ cause. She said she hopes it will make people aware of the SPCA and their purpose, stopping animal abuse and promoting animal adoption.
“Being an animal lover probably helped me promote the project,” Spurgeon said. “It’ll help animals from being euthanized that don’t need to be because [local shelters] will have the means to feed them and take care of them.”
Although she tried to convince her parents to let her quit Girl Scouts in middle school, Gariss said she is glad she didn’t. She said she realizes now what an advantage being a member of the organization is when making resumes for colleges or employers.
“It’s really helped not only with college and scholarships but really discovering who I am as a person,” Gariss said. “It’s nice to be able to tell people that I’m actually doing something to better my community.”
