A passion for animals and the environment drives Hoppers Crossing girl Alanah to help all creatures great and small.
For her 10th birthday, instead of presents, Alanah asked her family and friends to donate items such as food, bedding, toys and money to Puppy Tales Rescue and Rehoming, a non-profit organisation located near Bacchus Marsh.
Alanah – who is now 11 years old – even used the birthday money her parents gave her to buy additional items for Puppy Tales.
“I’ve always loved animals, it’s something that’s always been there,” Alanah said.
Back in 2016, she adopted a Jack Russell-Maltese cross, named Lacey, from Puppy Tales, and has also adopted two cats, Sam and Louie.
In May, she volunteered at the Dog Lovers Show to raise awareness of Puppy Tales’ work.
And earlier this year attended the World Wildlife Day Melbourne Crush to protest against animals being killed for their tusks and horns.
Fittingly, Alanah is an environmental leader at her school, St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School in Tarneit.
Her fellow students and teachers selected her for the position, which involves helping to organise special environmental events, caring for the school’s chickens and planting programs.
“I just like the fact that it’s raising awareness for certain things,” Alanah said.
The active youngster is also in her school choir and a drama club, is a keen horserider and a budding photographer. In March, a series of photos she took were exhibited in the Catholic Education Week Art Show in East Melbourne.
