Nine-year-old U.S. boy Roman McConn’s love for dogs goes far beyond playing with his own in his backyard. The Evans boy has helped thousands of dogs find homes through his organization, Project Freedom Ride. “We are up to saving about a little over 2,500 right now,” Roman said in a recent interview. Roman of Augusta, Georgia, the United States and his mother, Jennifer McConn, started Project Freedom Ride in December 2016 to find homes in the Pacific Northwest for dogs (and a few cats) in danger of being euthanized at high-kill shelters in Texas. “The only way I can describe Project Freedom Ride is we are a community,” Jennifer McConn wrote on the organization’s Facebook page. “We partner with amazing Texas Rescues who help by pulling dogs from high-kill shelters or taking in strays and otherwise unwanted dogs prior to them entering such shelters and caring for them through their programs (vetting, fostering, etc.) while we look for adopters and/ or receive partners in the Pacific Northwest to take them in.” “The whole process from saving a dog to transporting out of Texas takes roughly four weeks depending on the dog’s health and temperament,” Jennifer added. Jennifer said their efforts began when Roman saw rescue dogs, and couldn’t understand why they had no homes. She said that since he was 4 years old, Roman has helped by making videos, introducing the rescue dogs to potential owners and urging people to adopt them. The McConns post videos to social media so they can be shared. Project Freedom Ride has grown as the family has moved from Texas to Washington state, and now Georgia. “My hopes are to get as many dogs adopted as we can. And, to help rescue dogs ‘cause I think they deserve more than a life in a kennel,” Roman said. Roman, who has three dogs himself — Luna, Ru and Zion — has earned several awards for his work in animal rescue and has made national headlines, including features on “The Ellen Show,” “Steve Harvey,” and “Little Big Shots.” “I don’t think dogs should just be in a shelter,” he said in an ASPCA video posted to YouTube. Every weekend for the last five years, Roman and his mother have visited local shelters to make a new video. “He’s a born dog whisperer,” Crystal Eskola of Augusta Animal Services told the ASPCA in its video. She added that every dog that Roman made a video with had been adopted, and added that he worked with dogs that were hard to place, spending time with them and showing the friendly and fun side of them. “He’s the life blood of Project Freedom Ride,” his mother said. (SD-Agencies) | 