By Khalida Sarwari
After two months of being in limbo, Stanley finally found a home. A family of four took the year-old pit bull terrier mix to their home in San Jose on July 24 and welcomed him into their family.
Few people were happier to hear the news than William Hatch, an 11-year-old from Campbell.
“When I found out, I was so happy I could jump through the roof,” he said.
William was instrumental in helping Stanley find a home, said Melissa Lisbon, a spokeswoman for San Jose Animal Advocates, an organization that works to raise awareness about local shelter animals that are in urgent need of adoption.
“We’re incredibly lucky,” she said of having William and his father, Steven, team up to raise awareness about animals like Stanley through social media.
William’s methods are unique. In his first project for SJAA, he “interviewed” Stanley and then posted the conversation to his Facebook page. The interview involved some time playing and sitting with the dog to get to know him, said William.
In the interview, William asked such questions as, “I have heard that pit bulls are dangerous; are you dangerous?” and “Do you get along well with other dogs? How about cats?”
There are more questions about the dog’s disposition, breed, diet, adoption fees and desire to be a part of a family, as well as William’s personal experience interacting and playing with Stanley.
Pit bulls have a bad rep, William said, but they love humans.
The aim of the project is to give the animals a voice, said Lisbon. And in the case of Stanley, that voice was heard. The family that adopted him learned about him through Facebook.
“It was definitely as a result of our joint networking using social media,” she said.
William started volunteering with SJAA just a few weeks ago. He said he was inspired to help after watching a charity show one day with his father.
“We both thought maybe we could help,” he said. “We originally thought maybe we could help clean up the shelters, but I wanted to do something better. I wanted to help the animals find homes.”
On his Facebook page, William describes himself as CEO and founder at Pet Adoptions by William, or PAW. He said he hopes to continue helping SJAA even after he begins sixth grade in the fall at Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale.
“There are so many animals that I just want to find homes for because animals are just awesome,” he said. “If you have a home that allows pets, get a pet … if you’re not allergic.”
Sadly, William does not currently live in a home that allows pets, but if he did?
“It’d be pretty awesome if I could get a lizard or something,” he said. “I would beg and beg and beg my dad to get me one for my birthday.”
11-year-old William Hatch, social media, help Stanley find a home
