Three teenage Girl Scouts took their love for animals to heart by creating goody bags for local rescue dogs.

Olivia Soliman, Ava Villegas and Sophia Richter, all age 13, came up with the idea as part of their silver award, which is the second highest level in Girl Scouts. They are members of troop 1984, which meets in a classroom at Our Lady of the Assumption.

The trio worked with Priceless Pets to create 48 goody bags that will be given to people who adopted dogs through The Orphanage in Claremont.

“The girls have worked tirelessly since March,” adoption manager Tandy Robinson said during a celebration on August 2 to recognize the scouts’ efforts. “They have put in 50 to 70 hours each,” she said.

About 30 people including family, friends and volunteers attended the celebration, during which Ms. Robinson gave each girl a certificate of appreciation and a bouquet of flowers.

The 48 goody bags should last a little over a month, according to Ms. Robinson.

Each adoption goody bag contains a can of food, a toy, a leash and three pet care pamphlets that the girls made. Eva wrote about dog healthcare including shots, dental care and first aid. Sophia penned hers on proper nutrition including bad versus good human food, allergies and a dog beef stew recipe. Olivia’s brochure covered training tips, places to take dogs and the responsibility of pet ownership.

The girls created the concept and then brought together the resources, including raising $1000, partly through collecting recyclables, and convincing Costco to donate some of the products.

Sophia, who lives in Claremont, said that she enjoyed the project and would definitely continue volunteer service projects in the future. All three girls were enthusiastic about the project and working with rescue animals.

—Steven Felschundneff

steven@claremont-courier.com