LYNCHBURG, Va. – If there’s one thing Gunner Nowell inherited from his big brother Calaeb — it’s his love of dogs.
“He’d be happy for me,” Gunner said.
Calaeb passed away in 2020, when he was only 15 years old.
And even though he’s only eleven himself, Gunner’s made it his mission to carry on with Calaeb’s desire to help animals.
“It’s beyond saying. It’s a passion. His first dog, Ozzy, he was actually a rescue,” Gunner said.
He and his mom started ‘Calaeb’s Canines’ with one mission.
“Getting all of the dogs to a good home,” he said.
In 2021, they sponsored 16 dog adoptions on what would have been Calaeb’s 16th birthday, and it’s grown from there.
“Every year, we sponsor the amount he turns, so this year he’s turning 18 so we’re sponsoring 18 dogs,” he said.
The impact — felt far and wide in the Lynchburg community.
“We’ve raised $10,000 and 66 dogs,” he said.
They do this at the Lynchburg Humane Society, where Senior Manager of Operations Amber Cabell said Calaeb’s legacy has made a world of difference.
“18 dogs is not a high number but for here it means the world to us. We only have about 48 kennels to house dogs in, and right now the last time I looked at our numbers we had about 90 to 100 dogs in our care,” Cabell said.
Gunner and his family don’t want to focus on the sadness of Calaeb’s death, but instead, use this adoption event as a celebration.
“It makes me feel really good,” he said.
For Gunner, it’s a way to connect with his brother, years after he’s gone.
“I can do something in memory of him and it’s not just a small thing, it’s a big thing. Just like him,” he said.
Calaeb’s Canine adoption event is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lynchburg Humane Society.
The first 18 dog adoptions will be sponsored. Even if all 18 dogs are not adopted Saturday, the sponsorship will extend until they all are.
More information can be found here.