An entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to donate to a good cause has resulted in one young local boy reaching his summertime goal — bringing home his first puppy.
Four-year-old Ryan Mancinelli, who recently raised money selling lemonade on weekends last month in an effort to buy his first dog, and to also help a local animal shelter, is a proud owner of a soft and furry little Newfoundland and St. Bernard mixed pooch, as of last Friday.
“She was adorable, so I wanted to buy her,” Mancinelli said during an interview in his backyard on Sunday.
Chloe, who's a friendly little puppy, is mostly black with a bit white on the tips of her paws and chest. She plays with a ball next to him on the grass.
The young entrepreneur successfully managed a lemonade stand on Leggott Avenue in Barrie’s south end on Aug. 4, collecting $400, then followed it up by targeting the Innisfil market, with pop-up stands located at Willard Avenue and then at the corner of Larter Street and Emberton Way near the end of August.
In total, Mancinelli raised $570 for charity, which he presented to the Ontario SPCA Barrie Animal Centre on Patterson Road, where he adopted his new pal.
The young boy also provided a collection bin alongside the stands and received “tons” of donated supplies for the shelter as well, as they are in much need of blankets, towels and sheets, leashes and collars, cat and dog treats, pet bowls, cat and dog toys, puppy pads, along with dish and laundry detergent.
So how many cups of lemonade does it take to raise that kind of money?
“Almost a million!” he exclaims, exaggerating just a little bit. Maybe.
So far, Mancinelli says he has already taught her to come to him when called.
“I teached her fast," he said.
He's planning to graduate to more difficult tricks, as she also knows how to sit, “but doesn’t know how to walk yet (on a leash).”
Chloe is permitted to have the run of their back yard for now, and “she can’t be with other dogs yet until she gets her needles,” Mancinelli explained.
The family owns a pair of cats, and he said Howie “was kind to Chloe,” but Momo was “a little bit scared” at first, when the puppy arrived on their scene, but gets along with Chloe just fine now.
He’s already learned how to feed his dog properly, with some hard kibble and some soft food four times a day, said his mom, Maegan.
There is lots of responsibility with owning a dog, and young Mancinelli says he is ready to take on the challenge, even with the not-so-fun dog chores.
“I have to clean up the poop, but Mom and Dad have to do it (for now),” said Ryan, because he hasn’t bought his own poop scooper yet.
Teaching the dog good habits early on is important, especially when the dog will grow into a much larger animal.
Feeding time is carefully choreographed while the dish is being set down in front of little Chloe.
“I have to hold it and then pull it back, (which is) how we keep the dog from being vicious with their food," he said.
That’s pretty smart.
“Yeah, because I don’t want the other kids to get hurt.”
His mom adds" “When we feed her, we pull it away for a minute, let her sit calm, then put it back down.” This instills patience in the young dog, she added.
A friendly and calm personality will be a required trait for a dog who is expected to tip the scales at nearly 150 pounds in size when full grown.
“Will be huge … almost like a bear,” Ryan said, but his new pal Chloe will be “friendly and lick my face all the time,” which the little puppy is clearly already an expert at.
“But I want to show you one more thing,” the boy said, as he showed this reporter his sandbox where he likes to play with his toys.
Chloe, bouncing along behind through the blades of grass in the sunshine, stays close to Mancinelli, and it appears the happy young pup now has as good a “forever home” as she could ever hope for.
This new and blossoming friendship between a boy and his dog will be something Mancinelli will no doubt cherish and remember for the rest of his life.
And with some hard work, he earned it all by himself.
