A Winnipeg man is hoping to turn one small dog bone into a sizeable donation to an animal rights group.
Ryan DeLong began his campaign “Bigger and Better for Animals” on Christmas Day.
Through a series of trades, DeLong hopes over the course of one year he will end up with a highly valuable item, which he will then sell and donate the proceeds to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
Much like the story of Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald, who in 2005 bartered his way from a red paperclip to a two-storey farmhouse in Saskatchewan, DeLong wants to start with something small and eventually make a big difference.
The first item on the trading table was a dog bone, “graciously donated” by his golden retriever, Wilfred, which DeLong posted on the “Bigger and Better for Animals” Facebook page.
Jacklyn Sommer offered to trade a pair of Chuck Taylor leather Converse sneakers for the MilkBone.
The sneakers were traded for a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky. The whisky went for a pair of Oak + Oar hoodies.
Now with six trades completed, DeLong is looking for someone to trade up for a week stay at a Manitoba couple’s condo in Phoenix, Arizona, worth around $700.
DeLong said, while his goal is lofty, it’s not unrealistic.
“If the red paper clip turned into a house in the matter of a year, I see no problem with a MilkBone turning into $100,000 in a year also,” he said.
So far, the majority of the trades have been local, with the first five happening in Winnipeg, and Monday’s in Brandon, Manitoba. But DeLong has received responses from the Maritimes, Toronto, even Australia and Europe.
He said he’s talking to every shipping company and airline he can think of to see if anyone can help out with shipping and delivery for trades outside of Winnipeg.
“I’m in talks with UPS to see if they’re willing to jump on board and pay for the shipping for the trades,” DeLong told Global News on Tuesday.
DeLong picked the WSPA because of his love for animals. “I went online and researched all different charities, and they’re one of the most widespread and well-respected ones,” he said.
While he went back and forth between choosing a local Winnipeg charity instead of an international one, he hopes the WSPA will have global appeal.
If someone in California hears about the campaign, they may be less likely to participate if the charity was local, said DeLong.
Regardless of what the final item is, DeLong said 100 per cent of the proceeds from the sale will go to the WSPA, an organization that works to end animal cruelty around the world.
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