Pals with Paws

Hayden Roland has a lot of pets. He has two dogs, Sasha and Peanut; two rabbits, BunBun and Velvet; and a pair of potbellied pigs, Ava and Layla.

BunBun came to Hayden’s family as a foster pet. He’d been injured by a cat. “We were like, ‘Oh, we’ll help him,’” Hayden, 12, told TIME for Kids. “And we just got really attached, and we kept him.”

Something similar happened with Ava. When Ava’s owner had to give her up, Hayden’s family adopted the pig. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, they’ll stay these cute little purse pigs,’” Hayden says. “Ava got bigger.” (She now weighs as much as a Great Dane.) Her stay with Hayden’s family was supposed to be temporary, he explains. “But then we just kept her forever.”

Hayden’s love for animals led him to start Wagging Tails, a youth volunteer group based at the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center, in Great Falls, Montana. In February, Wagging Tails celebrated its one-year anniversary of helping animals.

KIDS CARE The Wagging Tails volunteer group gathers at the Maclean-Cameron center for its October 2024 meeting.

Pets in Need

In the United States, nearly 6 million cats and dogs entered shelters and rescue facilities in 2024. According to Shelter Animals Count, a national database, most of those animals were then adopted into new homes.

CURIOUS CAT Hayden enjoys some quality time with Banksky at the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center.

Why do animals wind up in shelters? Maybe the animal’s owner loses a job and can no longer afford to care for the pet. Maybe they move to a place where animals aren’t allowed. “You know what? Life gets hard,” Pam Volk says. She’s the executive director of Maclean-Cameron. Centers like hers help people rehome their pets when necessary.

Volk has known Hayden for years. He’s donated his birthday money to the center and done volunteer work there. In 2022, at the center’s annual Fur Ball fundraiser, Volk presented him with the Youth Philanthropy Award. So when Hayden wanted to start Wagging Tails and use the center as its home base, Volk was all in. “How do you make a difference? You find something you’re passionate about,” Volk says.

BELLY RUB Luna, a rescue dog at the Maclean-Cameron center, enjoys playtime with Hayden.

Helping Hands

Once a month, Wagging Tails volunteers meet at the center after school to help out. In the beginning, the group consisted of Hayden and two other kids. “Now, we have 32,” Hayden says.

SQUEAKY CLEAN Hayden works alongside another Wagging Tails volunteer. Their tasks include washing pet bowls.

“They do all kinds of things,” Volk says. They do laundry, so animals have clean bedding. They stock the center’s pet food pantry and walk dogs. This past winter, the kids made covered beds for stray cats. They lined the beds with straw, for warmth, and placed them around town so the strays have a safe place to sleep.

“They just impress me, because they truly are out there,” says Aria Roland, Hayden’s mom, who’s on the center’s board of trustees. “They are not scared to put their ideas out there. They’re not scared to get involved. They impress me, and they give me hope for the future of animals.”

TASTY TREATS Hayden stocks food and treats in the Maclean-Cameron pet food pantry.

“Animals, I feel, should have a voice,” Hayden says. So he and his fellow volunteers use their voices, and actions, to help their furry friends.

Inspired?

Let Hayden’s story inspire you to protect animals in your community. Click below for ideas about how you can promote animal welfare and make the world a brighter place.