It is not often that you see a six-year-old boy give up a chance to collect loot like videos games and other toys on their birthday, but Cooper Cannon decided his heart was too big to not think of the animals at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter (ECCS), so he devoted his entire sixth year birthday to raising much needed supplies for his friends there.

“For little Cooper’s sixth birthday, he asked for donations for the shelter,” said Shannon Posada, ECCS director.

This adorable story does not end with the above because ECCS staff said that when Cooper showed up he wanted to see the dogs, so Cooper and his grandmother were shown all the dogs there. “However, Cooper kept one special toy for one dog, and after he was done seeing all the dogs, he went back to that one dog, whose name happened to be Cooper as well.  So, Cooper chose Cooper,” explained Posada.

The staff and the furry friends at the shelter want to thank Cooper Cannon for his big heart and compassion for animals.