Darius Brown, a boy from Newark, New Jersey, sews colourful bow ties for dogs and cats in animal shelters and gives them away, so the animals stand out in adoption photos and catch the eye of visitors. He started in 2017, at around ten years old, after watching an SPCA advert about pets left homeless by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and by 2019, aged 12, he was sending ties to shelters across the United States.
His story drew wide attention for two reasons. The first is the simple logic of the idea: a smart accessory gives a shelter animal a little personality in a photo, and that can be enough to make someone stop scrolling. The second is how Darius learned the skill. Sewing began as a way to work on a developmental delay diagnosed when he was a toddler, and it turned into a small business, Beaux and Paws, that also sells ties to the public. Former US President Barack Obama wrote to him in 2018, and in 2021 he made a bow tie for Major, the Biden family's rescue dog.
The photos below follow the project from fabric shop to shelter kennel, with notes on what each one shows.
Who Darius Brown is
Darius, in a bow tie of his own, sits in a shelter waiting area with a small white dog wearing a green tie on his lap. Visits like this let him fit ties himself and meet the staff who will photograph the animals. Shelters near his home in Newark took in animals from Florida and Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
On the left, a shelter worker helps Darius fit a tie on a small dog; on the right, he poses in a suit with a scruffy terrier mix. He has said the bright colours and patterns are meant to make the animals noticeable, which can help them find homes sooner.
How sewing started as therapy
When Darius was about two, he was diagnosed with delays in speech, cognitive development and fine motor skills, the small hand movements needed for tasks like writing or buttoning a shirt. Around the age of eight, his older sister Dazhai began teaching him to sew and asked him to help cut fabric for her own bows. The cutting and stitching gave him daily practice with precise hand movements, and he soon began making bow ties for people.
Darius browses rolls of patterned fabric in a shop. Choosing prints is part of the appeal of his ties: polka dots, florals, novelty patterns and seasonal designs all give a different character to the animal wearing them.
Here he works at a table covered in fabric scraps, with an iron ready behind him. Pressing the fabric flat before and after stitching is what gives a bow tie its crisp shape.
At the sewing machine, Darius guides fabric under the needle. In a 2021 interview he estimated that each tie takes him about 15 minutes to make.
From fabric to finished bow ties
Dozens of finished ties are laid out on a table, each with a strap on the back so it can slip onto a pet's collar. Working out how to attach a tie securely to a collar was the step that turned his human bow ties into something a shelter could use.
Darius checks a box of packaged ties ready to be posted. Donations from supporters, including a GoFundMe campaign run by his family, helped pay for fabric and shipping so he could supply shelters in other states.
A box full of finished bows in shiny, striped and patterned fabrics. By March 2021, aged 14, Darius estimated he had made up to 1,000 ties.
A letter from Barack Obama and other recognition
The letter, dated 8 March 2018 and addressed to Darius in Newark, is from former President Barack Obama. It commends him for his community service and mentions Beaux and Paws by name. Obama wrote that he was confident Darius's future would be bright if he stayed engaged with the world around him.
Darius also received youth awards from community organisations and has spoken at events encouraging other young people to volunteer. In January 2021 he made a special bow tie for Major, the German Shepherd adopted from a Delaware shelter, for Joe Biden's inauguration. "I made it the best way I possibly can and I just loved the way it came out," he told the PA news agency.
Shelter dogs and cats in their bow ties
Dressed in a suit and tie himself, Darius holds a small black dog in front of shelter kennels. Matching outfits like this became something of a signature in his photos.
Darius hugs a fluffy, light-coloured dog. Time spent with the animals is part of each visit, not only the handing over of ties.
A brown and white dog relaxes on a cushion wearing a blue patterned tie. Simple, well-lit photos of a calm dog like this are exactly what adoption listings rely on.
Mid-lick, a tan dog shows off a sparkly silver tie. Photos that capture a bit of character often draw more attention than formal portraits.
A beagle-type dog in an outdoor run wears a patterned tie and looks straight at the camera. According to Dazhai, one dog, Max, went to a new home while wearing one of her brother's ties.
Cats get ties too. This pale, blue-eyed cat with Siamese-style colouring wears a bow made from banknote-print fabric.
A golden dog grins with its tongue out, wearing a bright floral tie, while someone holds its head steady for the photo.
Held in a volunteer's arms, a black and white dog shows off a red polka-dot tie that stands out against its coat.
In profile, a black and tan hound wears a red and white patterned tie on a red collar. Hounds and hound mixes are common in US shelters, and anything that helps them stand out is welcome.
A curly, apricot-coloured doodle-type dog holds a red rose in its mouth and wears a matching red bow tie, a styled shot that shows how far a simple accessory can go in a photo.
Do accessories really help shelter animals?
No single bow tie can be credited with an adoption, and the number of ties made is not the same as the number of animals rehomed. What shelters do agree on is that presentation matters. Clear, friendly photos and a sense of the animal's personality help people connect with a listing, and a splash of colour around the neck is a cheap way to add both. Ties are also a talking point that brings attention, and sometimes donations, to the shelter itself.
How you can help shelter animals
You do not need a sewing machine to make a difference. Shelters always need volunteers to walk dogs, socialise cats and take good photos. Fostering frees up kennel space and helps animals learn to live in a home. Donating blankets, food or money, or simply sharing adoptable pets on social media, all help. If you sew, ask your local shelter first whether they would welcome collars, bandanas or ties, and what sizes they need.
You can follow Darius's work on Instagram and Facebook; his family's 2019 fundraiser was hosted on GoFundMe.
Sources: ABC7 News, 19 July 2019: 12-year-old boy creates bowties to help homeless dogs and cats; Irish News/PA, 22 March 2021: Teenager makes bow ties for shelter dogs; Photos: Darius Brown / Beaux and Paws.
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