Scituate may be a small coastal town, but that is not stopping Brooke DuBois, a junior at Scituate High School, from following her dreams. DuBois has dreamed of being a veterinarian since she was five-years-old, and her dream is becoming a reality. DuBois has started a clothing business, The Dog House. The Dog House plans to donate 20% of its profits to handpicked organizations and animal shelters to help save the lives of dogs. Currently, DuBois is donating 100% of the profits, and she has already saved the lives of two dogs.

In 2015, at 14-years-old, DuBois celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. DuBois was required to do a Mitzvah Project, which can be a community service project. She knew right away she wanted to do something related to helping the dogs at the animal shelter in her town. “I reached out to friends and family asking for donations, and I raised over $2,000, which I donated to the Scituate Animal Shelter,” said DuBois. This didn’t stop her desire to help dogs. A year later, DuBois decided she wanted to continue this project, but in a way that didn’t include asking people for money. DuBois came up with the idea of starting a clothing company and donating the profits to animal shelters. Soon, DuBois launched The Dog House in 2016.

Since the company first started, The Dog House has helped two dogs and made multiple donations to Scituate Animal Shelter. “The first dog’s name was Bruiser. After Hurricane Harvey, he was stranded and he had cherry eye, which is a disease in their eyes. We paid the medical bills for that,” said DuBois. DuBois also helped another dog, Ranger, by helping pay off his medical bills for Lyme disease. DuBois is now looking to help another dog in Utah by donating her profits.

When asked about her experience with owning her own company, DuBois said, “It’s definitely hard to balance it.” DuBois said, “Going to the Scituate Animal Shelter showed me the need in the world for people who can and are able to help.” DuBois’s desire to give back to her community–and dogs around the nation–is inspiring. As a junior in high school, she is starting to achieve her dreams at the young age of seventeen.

DuBois encourages other students and citizens to get involved in their community: “There are so many things you can do to get involved, whether it’s for animals or people, and there are so many organizations that if you wanted to contribute and make a difference–just find something that you’re passionate about make a difference in the world.”