Four-year-old Dakota Craycraft thinks she has enough toys already.
That’s why she isn’t asking for any as her fifth birthday approaches in September.
Instead, Dakota, with a little encouragement from her mother, Renee Craycraft, is asking for donations to the Clark County Animal Shelter.
“She has so much toys and stuff like that, and she loves the animals and stuff, and we talked to her and said, ‘Do you want to give it to the animals?’” Renee Craycraft said.
Dakota will turn 5 on Sept. 15, and donations will be taken to the shelter Sept. 18. Items being collected include cat litter, puppy food, kitten food and adult animal food. Her grandparents, Jim and Paula McNabb, are accepting donations at their store, Broadway Corner Market, 151 East Broadway.
“We actually took her to the Humane Society and let her see the puppies and the kitties, and they told us what they needed out there,” Craycraft said.
The Craycraft family is full of animal lovers, she said, and often takes in stray pets. Dakota loves giving treats to her own pets, as well as her grandparents’ horse, Dobby.
“Every time we go out, she has to get dog treats, and they get a dog bone. It comes down to when we go to the grocery stores, she says, ‘Mommy, we have to get Dobby an apple?’” Craycraft said.
Previous pets include dogs, cats, hamsters and fish.
Although Dakota wasn’t sure about the project when her parents first talked to her about it, after visiting the shelter and playing with the cats, she was excited to do something to help.
“That’s why we took her and showed her,” Craycraft said.
The birthday project is a way for the entire Craycraft family to help what they consider a worthwhile organization.
“The Humane Society doesn’t get enough recognition for the work they do. This was something we could do to give back to the community,” Craycraft said.
