Royse City Boy Scout builds doghouses for Dallas Animal Services
ROYSE CITY, Texas - An eighth-grade Boy Scout from Royse City is working toward the prestigious Eagle rank by helping to save the lives of dogs in Dallas.
He built and delivered 20 dog houses to Dallas Animal Services this week to be given out to families in need.
Eben Barnes is only 13 years old but already making a big difference.
"I really enjoy being around dogs, and I found out that they can be removed from their homes because they don't have a shelter," he said. "So I wanted to do a project for that so that dogs wouldn't be removed."
Eben reached out to Det. Michael Bono with the Dallas Police Department's animal cruelty unit to find out how he could help animals in a city that is struggling with shelter overcrowding.
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There are almost twice as many dogs are in the shelter as there are in the kennels, forcing the shelter to euthanize adoptable pets.
"One of our biggest challenges we have in the animal cruelty unit is individuals that don't provide a means of shelter," Bono said. "Whether it's they just don't have means to do so or they choose not to. But animals in North Texas are at risk based on not having shelter."
Eben researched how to build a doghouse, but that had its challenges. His prototype broke after the first try. He contacted businesses to collect donations for the supplies he needed.
Once he had that, Eben's troop and a few others got to work.
Eben's mom, Brooke Barnes, said she was proud of his perseverance.
"He sets a goal, and he sticks to it," she said. "So to see him build the prototype, see him get everything organized, and then to see him oversee the work day and the delivery of the doghouses yesterday, it was really exciting."
And now it’s 20 dogs that will soon have the excitement of their own.
"We've seen animals come in because the families just couldn't provide," Bono said. "And I think through Evan's Eagle Scout project, he's able to help 20 of those families."
The hope is others will be inspired to follow Eben's lead.
"I think Eben really nailed this project. I think the doghouses turned out excellent. I think it's the tip of the iceberg," Bono said. "I think a lot of other scouts and individuals could do this, and it could greatly impact the greater Dallas and North Texas area.
Eben has now completed all of the requirements to become an Eagle Scout. The next step is his board of review to verify his work.