Scrambled, Poached, Omelet, Sunny Side Up, Over Easy, Benedict and Hard Boiled: these are the names of the seven puppies that share the same mother, Egg. Every morning, sophomore Evan Little would wake up, take the litter outside and watch as they ran and tackled each other.
“They’re crazy, they’re insane,” he said. “Because we had them in a little pen, you would go into the pen and all seven of them would start trying to climb on you. They were the size of guinea pigs.”

Filled with passion for dogs and hope for companionship, Little and his family’s journey to fostering pups took root after they first adopted their own Labrador, Murphy, in 2017.

“I think one of the reasons (why we fostered) was (because) we first got our dog, Murphy,” he said. “We
got her after Trump was first elected into office as a way to cope with the election results.”
Later, through volunteering every other Saturday with local rescue organization Dog Protective Services

Rescue, Little was introduced to Egg, a two- to three- year-old stray Labrador mix rescued from Fresno, Calif., and her week-old pups, whom they welcomed into their home in February this year.

“We like dogs (and) we (already) have a Labrador,” he said. ”My mom’s been volunteering (at DPS Rescue)
for a while, so we went to a few events, and we had been thinking about fostering for (some time).”

While waiting for the puppies to be adopted, Little cared for them until they were about three to eight weeks old, with the last pup being adopted recently. To watch after the puppies, Little’s family used leftover supplies from when they adopted Murphy and other resources provided by DPS Rescue. Fostering a large litter size was a tiring process that included training, feeding and taking the pups out to relieve themselves. However, the experience was rewarding
and exciting to Little, even if it got slightly stressful when he was home alone.
“We needed to have a lot of puppy pads because they were not house trained,” he said. “We didn’t really train them with their names because their names were eventually changed. They all responded (to) ‘puppies’ because my mom would yell out ‘puppies’ before she fed them.
Little recalls many special memories with the pups — whether they were falling asleep on his lap or playing with children in the pen — but he especially cherishes when they became more vocal and barked for the first time. Along with other light-hearted moments, Little created individual bonds with each puppy.

“Scrambled was one of my favorites,” he said. “I have fond memories of lying down and Scrambled coming up and lying on me. She fell asleep on me a few times, and then she started eating my hair. Benedict (also) tried to eat my hair. I swear I heard a crunch one time.”

Little recommends to those interested in fostering that they first gain experience taking care of dogs or a single pup before moving on to puppies.

“I’d try an older dog or one puppy that’s already a few months old, but getting a batch of newborns and a hormonal mother is hard (the) first time,” he said.

Although quieter now, the family’s home is still full, with a dog, three cats — Bailey, Guinness and Yara — and even a neighborhood cat they’ve unofficially taken in as their own.

“The house feels a bit emptier without the puppies,” Little said. “But, we still have plenty of animals to love.”

Since they were young, juniors Lilia Alishahian and Violet Hayes have had a love for animals and an understanding of how meaningful pet adoption can be. For Hayes, this deep care began when she visited a family member who fostered rescues.

“(Visiting her) was a big moment for me,” she said. “She told me the story about how (she rescued animals from) the street, and it made me really happy. That’s how (my family) ended up adopting our cats.”

For Alishahian, her care for animals was sparked by a close connection with her dog.

“I have always really liked animals, ever since I was a young kid, because I’ve always wanted a dog,” she said. “When I did get a dog, I found a lot of peace in my pet.”

With this passion for helping animals in need of a home, the pair decided to focus their project for the Advanced Authentic Research course on advocating against the breeding of pets and promoting adoption from shelters. They began their research through expert interviews with organizations supporting animal shelters and rights.

“One thing that really struck me was (that) a part of (this issue) is because of COVID-19,” Alishahian said. “A lot of people lost their homes (during the pandemic), and they were unable to take care of their pets.”

After expanding their knowledge on shelter overcrowding, Alishahian and Hayes learned that the problem was worsened by the continued demand for breeder-sold pets. The two set out to increase community awareness on the corresponding issue by giving presentations in Social and Emotional Literacy and Functionality classes.

“We decided we wanted to do some social outreach with the Gunn community because one of the big problems is that people didn’t know (buying from breeders) was a problem,” Hayes said. “So, they continue to buy from breeders, especially because there’s so much wealth in the area that (families) have enough money to buy from a breeder instead of adopting.”

In addition to their efforts in advocacy, Alishahian and Hayes partnered with local animal shelter Berkeley Humane for the interactive portion of their project — making dog blankets. The pair set up workshops in the SELF classes they presented to, including SELF Program Coordinator Lauren Howard’s, for students to participate in the activity and learn about the purpose of their project.

“Someone in Ms. Howard’s SELF classroom (wasn’t even a part of Ms. Howard’s) SELF,” Alishahian said. “She just found out that (the SELF class) was making blankets that day and came to support us.”

The project also broadened its impact through other outlets, including the AAR 2025-26 cohort’s shared Instagram account, @aarsj_atgunn, where they posted their flyers online.

“(We promoted) the workshops through social media,” Hayes said. “We shared adoption stories, provided adoption forms on our presentation and flyers (that were posted around school) and collected information (on our) posts (while) tracking engagement.”

All of Alishahian and Hayes’ efforts reflect not just a project, but a genuine passion for animal welfare. Their commitment to positively contributing to the general attitude towards adoption stems from their care for the well-being of animals.

“I hate to see any individual suffer, no matter what type of animal (they) are,” Alishahian said. “With animals, I can see them suffering, and I have a direct way I can help. Therefore, I will and want to do what’s in my power.”