Popular content creator, with dogs, creates hugely successful fundraiser for ACCT Philly
HUNTING PARK - In 2024, FOX 29 met a Northeast Philadelphia man who made quite the four-legged friend while on vacation. His story captured the hearts of millions on TikTok and Instagram when he brought the pup home.
He is now determined to help other homeless dogs.
Eddie, a social media content creator posted about a stray dog who befriended him on his Puerto Rican vacation with his girlfriend. After spending the day together, he knew he couldn’t leave the pup behind, naming her Cici.
Cici, the perfect playmate for his famous dog, Chooch, who has more than a million TikTok followers. With Cici adding to their popularity, Eddie is determined to use their fame to help homeless dogs in his hometown of Philadelphia.
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"ACCT Philly needed help," Eddie said. "They’re the only open intake shelter in the city. They need all the help they can get. It breaks my heart."
Eddie reached out to ACCT Philly to do a holiday fundraiser, putting up some video clips on social media to get it going.
"I asked Chooch and Cici’s followers to come through and they’re like an army, you know?" Eddie explained. "They came through big time. $66,000 is crazy."
"When he put up the link, I thought this will be nice and we’ll raise some money and that’ll be great," Executive Director of ACCT Philly, Sarah Barnett, explained her reaction. "I’m looking at the numbers climbing. I was hitting refresh. I was like, ‘Holy crap!’ So many people were donating."
That $66,000 is being put to good use, repairing and replacing broken fences in play yards. Some were in bad shape and unusable.
Barnett continued, "Now the animals here, their behavior will be better. They'll be able to go outside more, get their energy out. That will help them find homes even faster and save more lives."
The money is also going to replace one of the two sterilization machines used for surgeries, after it unexpectedly broke. Barnett said, "I thought, ‘Oh my God, how are we going to replace that?’ They are about $7,000, so that was huge. Timing was perfect. It’ll help a lot of animals."
Eddie is just glad he and his beloved pups are able to come to the rescue. "It makes me feel amazing. That is what I want to use my platform for."
Eddie did a similar fundraiser last year with a buddy to benefit a Pittsburgh area SPCA. He says he plans to make a tradition of helping a shelter in need every year.