Meet Chipper, the adorable 8-year-old rescue dog from Arizona who’s doing his best to save the planet by recycling!
Him and his owner, Katie Pollak, are determined to help clean up the planet, one step at a time.
The pair pick up trash whenever they spot some near their home in Mesa, Arizona.
They naturally became a team when Katie noticed Chipper’s unusual obsession with picking up plastic bottles.
Katie adopted her beloved Chipper from a shelter back in 2011, and was surprised when she saw him pick up trash.
“He started picking them up immediately, so I encouraged it and rewarded it,” she told TODAY.
“And he motivated me to do the same. I really started getting out and picking up more than I was before, so we created kind of a team.”
The adorable duo do everything together—paddleboarding, hiking, walking and other outdoor activities.
Katie uploads all their special moments on Chipper’s very own Instagram account, which has over 28,000 followers so far. Evidently, everyone is as obsessed with the pooch as we are!
The dog’s good deeds aren’t going unnoticed, and he’s inspiring a whole bunch of people out there!
“He really has been an inspiration,” Katie said.
“I’ll go to group cleanups in the area, and when people see him, they’re like, ‘Chipper’s here!’ So everyone gets to come meet him and see what he’s all about.”
Katie and Chipper wander around with bags to collect trash, picking up beer cans, plastic bottles, discarded pieces of clothing and more, everywhere they go.
Katie is always astonished by the amount of trash she and her friends manage to collect on their cleanup missions.
“It’s heartbreaking. But we love this area so much, and we really want to do our best to keep it wild,” Katie said.
Katie’s other dog, Quinci, often join her, her friends and Chipper on their cleanups, forming a team named Wild Keepers. Together, they aim to collect 1 million pounds of litter by the year 2023.
Since 2016, they’ve collected an impressive 200,000 pounds so far—incredible!
What Chipper has taught us, is that every little helps.
“He reminds me all the time to be my best self and do everything I can, and he’s so much fun to do it with,” Katie said.
Next time you’re out and about, why not help out to clean the environment? If you have a fur friend, bring them along too! It could be super fun!
Credit: Today