Roman McConn is only 8 years old, but he has big dreams when it comes to helping dogs in need. In 2016, he launched an organization called Project Freedom Ride with his parents. They made it a mission to save unwanted dogs that were at risk of euthanasia and help them find forever homes.
Roman is the face of the organization, and he always encourages people to adopt dogs. He’s even gotten plenty of attention on TV, including his most recent appearance on the show Little Big Shots.
The Start of Project Freedom Ride
Roman’s family lived in Texas from 2013 to 2016. During that time, they learned about the horrors of kill shelters, and they discovered that Texas has a lot of them. After that, Roman’s mom, Jen, became very involved with volunteering at shelters. She was determined to save as many dogs as possible.
In 2016, the family moved to Washington, where they quickly discovered that shelters and rescues were much better up there. So, they wanted to find a way to transport dogs in high-risk locations like Texas to safer areas with open kennel space. From there, Project Freedom Ride began.
“When we have to say goodbye to a dog, it’s sometimes very hard for me. But it makes me feel really happy for the dogs,” said Roman.
Transporting dogs is not an easy task, but the family is always determined to make it work. The transport cost each month ranges between $15,000 to $20,000, so they rely heavily on donations.
Today, their organization has saved over 2,000 dogs, and a lot of the credit goes to Roman. He’s the face of the organization, so he often posts videos on social media to help encourage people to adopt and to showcase adoptable dogs. He truly cares about the work he does, and he wants more people to adopt dogs in need.
“Roman’s very empathetic and compassionate. I’m very proud because those are things that I can’t teach him. Those are things that he’s teaching us,” said Jen.
Roman’s Appearance on Little Big Shots
Roman recently appeared on the show Little Big Shots, which is a series that showcases kids with unique talents. On the show, he told the audience how he helps dogs and he emphasized the importance of dog adoption.
He made an appearance on the show with an adoptable Bulldog named Rosie. He said that Rosie is the perfect dog if you love kisses. Currently, Roman’s goal is to help every dog in the country find a forever home. When Melissa McCarthy, the host of the show, asked him what his next goal was, he had the perfect response.
“After that, my next goal would be maybe to go global!” said Roman.
While it wasn’t possible to get every dog in the country adopted that day, McCarthy surprised Roman by bringing 3 more adoptable dogs on the show. They were all dogs that he’d met before and made videos for. What was even more surprising is that McCarthy had interviewed adopters beforehand and found perfect homes for all 4 dogs!
The dogs’ adopters were in the audience, ready to bring their new family members home. It was a heartwarming moment that Roman hadn’t expected. He was happy to see that he was 4 dogs closer to saving all the dogs in the world.
Roman and his family are very kind for the amazing work that they do. Maybe one day they’ll be able to save every dog, but for now, they’ll just do whatever they can to help. You can view the full episode of Little Big Shots here.
https://www.facebook.com/NBCLittleBigShots/videos/3039998342729834/?v=3039998342729834
H/T: wrdw.com
Featured Image: @ProjectFreedomRide/Facebook
Toledo, United States.
