Dean reached double digits on his last birthday, 
soon after he moved to Chino Valley with his grandparents, who have raised him since he was a baby.
Now he, too, is taking care of babies – a pair of guinea pigs named Hope and Ashley. The babies have Dean in a bit of a ticklish situation. Their tiny whiskers and soft fur tickles him when they perform a trick the fifth-grader taught them. Crawling into his shirt from under his chin, where they chortle and purr, always gets a giggle and grin from Dean. Dean loves animals of all kinds, and his grandma said if he had his way, he would have ducks, rabbits, lizards, snakes and goats. He says he would like a pond for the animals. Dean’s good at anticipating an animal’s needs. The small fenced “patio” attached to the guinea pig cage was his idea.
The cage is in his room, along with a neatly arranged and eclectic collection of his interests, including Toy Story, Star Wars, Legos and a 2D jaguar figure on the wall that he bargained for by himself. Without a doubt, Dean would enjoy a Big Brother who would take him to the zoo, but he also would love to just hike through the woods or around a lake where he could observe wildlife.
He’d welcome a Big who could join in his favorite computer games, such as Plants vs. Zombies or Minecraft. An hour or two at a time a couple of times each month can make him happy. Dean waited for nearly a year for a Big in his previous home state, and finally received a match just two weeks before he moved to Arizona. He hopes his match will happen sooner here.
Anyone interested in becoming a Big can call 928-778- 5135 Or, if you can’t be a Big, how about supporting a Big? The Arizona State Tax Credit is one way to do so.