10-year-old Paxton Booth is busier than most adults four times his age. He is a series regular on The Disney Channel’s Coop and Cami and is a big advocate for animal rescue, particularly pit bulls. He currently works with Paw Works (a California-based animal rescue) in their Child Pet Ambassador Program.

Paxton has been working so closely with Paw Works that at the beginning of quarantine, he adopted a new puppy named Ripley from the organization. Ripley has already been featured alongside Paxton in a Disney Channel promo.

Coop and Cami is a family show, about a mother and her children who use their livestream channel to crowdsource opinions on everyday issues, or vote on silly stunts they should do each day.

Perhaps Paxton’s outspoken nature when it comes to animal rescue is due to inspiration from his Coop and Cami character. “My character’s name is Ollie and he’s the daredevil of the family,” Paxton said. “He doesn’t seem to have a filter, so he says whatever is on his mind.”

“My mom taught me that we share the world with animals and that we should give them the respect they deserve”

Paxton also draws inspiration from his mom, who is a veterinary technician. “My mom taught me that we share the world with animals and that we should give them the respect they deserve,” he said. “She also said that they don’t have voices and we should speak for them when they need it.”

Animal rescue is important to Paxton because there are so many animals in shelters that need homes. “I have a special place in my heart for pit bulls because I grew up with two of them and I saw firsthand how misunderstood they are,” he said. “It made me sad to think that people didn’t like my sweet dogs just because they had big block heads.”

Sadly, both of Paxton’s dogs he had when he was younger have since passed away. However, his new puppy Ripley is keeping him on his toes! Paxton got instantly excited talking about her.

“Oh my gosh, she is so rad!” he said. “She is a typical puppy with tons of energy—some of her favorite things to do are snuggle and see her friends at doggy daycare.”

When he’s not working on Coop and Cami, Paxton’s work on the Child Pet Ambassador Program lets him and other children get real hands-on experience with rescue animals. He helps them socialize by taking part in community events. While he hasn’t had a lot of time in recent months due to his show, Paxton still tries to repost adoptable animals on his Instagram stories. He also hopes to help out at local adoption events too.

Paxton hopes to continue working in the TV industry in the coming years and maybe eventually get into movies. “Something I do know is that I will always be helping animals by volunteering and educating whenever I can,” he said.

Paxton recently finished the fourth grade and is looking forward to fifth as that is when the study of World History begins. “It’s one of my favorite subjects,” he added.

While not working, attending school or saving animals, Paxton enjoys going to swap meets to hunt for old vinyl records and vintage Hot Wheels. “I also really like to ride my BMX bike, and I’m a big book worm,” he said. “I even started a book club on my Instagram called #PageswithPaxton.”

Photo Credits:
Adam Booth
Adam Kent Photography