Girl, 6, Honored For 'Pawsitive' Impact On Shelter Animals

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Ever since she was little, 6-year-old Bella Iarrapino has been fascinated with animals. She has always wanted to help them.

"She has loved every type of animal since she could crawl," says Bella's mother. "Birds, every type of animal. She just absolutely loves them."

Bella loves to participate in the Animal Tales program at the Humane Animal Rescue. She gathers her favorite books and heads to the shelter to spend time reading to the animals. The program helps kids work on their reading skills and gives the animals some company.

"I like reading chapter books to them," says Bella. "Because I just really like them."

Bella has also hosted fundraising parties where she and her friends make homemade toys and blankets for the animals at the shelter. She also collects spare change to donate.

"For her to be telling her friends and reaching out like that, just to be part of an organization, I think that's fantastic," says Michelle McMullen of Petco. "I hope this reaches a lot more people and they go in and do the same thing."

Because of her hard work, Bella was honored by the website Crayons and Collars, the Petco Foundation and World's Best Cat Litter as a kid who's making a Pawsitive Impact on local homeless animals.

She'll be featured on the website, and the Humane Animal Rescue will also get $1,000 and 300 pounds of cat litter.

"Animals just want people to spend time with them, and what she's doing is fantastic," says McMullen.

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