#BlackBoyJoy: Newark boy uses bow tie businesses to save shelter animals

Jul 10, 2019

[griojw id=”PtQS8HvT” playerid=””] A 12-year-old boy from Newark is drawing national attention for his bow ties that are helping shelter animals get adopted.

Darius Brown is the creator of Beaux and Paws, an organization that dresses cute dogs and cats up in bow ties to help them find permanent homes. Sounding every bit the marketing mogul, Brown told the Today show that his creation helps raise the visual appeal of the homeless animals.

“It helps the dog look noticeable, very attractive,” Brown said. “It helps them find a forever, loving home.”

Brown added, “I love everything about dogs and cats.”

When he was 2, Brown was diagnosed with delays in comprehension, speech and fine motor skills, according to People, but with his family’s encouragement he found a way to blend his loves for animals and fashion.

And now his Instagram account, @sirdariusbrown, boasts more than 46,000 followers.

When Brown was 8-years-old, his mother, Joy Brown, 40, and sister, Dazhai Brown-Shearz, 22, noticed that he was beginning to cut fabric and make hair ribbons for his sister, they told Today.

From there, it was just a short leap to Brown making his own bowties, pieces so sharp that strangers would ask him where he got them. That’s how Beaux and Paws was born, People reports.

“I wear bow ties all the time,” Brown told Today. “”Literally everywhere I go, I wear a bow tie.”

And for every sale made by Beaux and Paws, Brown makes a donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.