The good guys thread

[Taz_Zoee]

This is actually a story about myself (I usually don't toot my own horn, but who will?)
I started going to the gym this week and my trainer kicked my butt on legs Tuesday night. So last night my legs were screaming!! On my way to the gym, just as I was coming out of my court, I saw a dog running around in front yards dragging a leash. I stopped and looked for a person. Around the corner came an older gentleman with another dog on a leash. I rolled down my window and asked if the dog was his. I don't think he heard me, but I heard him calling to the dog.
I jumped out of my car, leaving the engine running and my door open, and started calling to the dog as she ran my direction. She was a young Pointer pup and FULL of energy! I chased her through bushes while the owner rested in one of the driveway's with the other dog. Finally I went to the man and he told me to start petting the dog he had control of (because the loose dog gets jealous). I did that and Stella (the Pointer pup) came up behind me. I quickly grabbed her leash.
I was so glad I was able to help this man. We live very close to a very busy street and she ran that direction a couple of times. I was so scared!
He was beside himself with this puppy. He said "I don't know what I'm going to do with this dog." But she is still a puppy. Oh, and as a side note, the other dog was a beautiful Aussie mix!
Anyway, I didn't even notice my sore legs while I was trying to save this dog. But when I got to the gym I had already got my heart rate elevated for the night.
And of course, after the fact, I thought of all the things I could have told the man. Like to get one of those leash splitters so he'd only have to hang on to one leash, or to take them to a dog park so Stella could run freely to release some of that energy. Maybe if I see him again I will do that.

[kuhio98]

This is actually a story about myself (I usually don't toot my own horn, but who will?)

Great job ~ Toot away!

[kuhio98]

A Meaningful Pet Project

After a weeklong business trip, I was wheeling my bag through the Boston airport at midnight when a young woman approached me. "Excuse me," she said with a French accent. "I have missed my flight home to Paris, and I have here my cat, and do you know where I can go?" She couldn't find a hotel that would take her cat, and her new flight didn't leave until 6 p.m. the next day. As she spoke I sized her up, trying to decide whether this could be a con. Before I knew it I was inviting her to spend the night at my house. (How could I not help a fellow cat person?) She looked surprised but said, "Okay, why not?" I put her and her cat in my spare bedroom, fashioning a litter box out of a file-box lid and mulch from my garden. I lent her a pair of pajamas -- the airline wouldn't release her luggage -- and gave her a short tour of Boston on the way to the airport. A few weeks later she sent me a beautiful linen tablecloth as a thank-you gift. I like to think I left her with a good impression of America and repaid some of the hospitality I'd enjoyed on my many trips abroad.
-- Anne McCrory, Boston, Massachusetts

[robinh]

Love these stories - they make me smile!

[kuhio98]

And They Call It Puppy Love

One night in Seattle my girlfriend, Sadie, and I saw a homeless man tie his puppy to a parking meter and head into a supermarket. Unhappy about being left outside, the puppy started barking. The man turned around, shouted "Shut up!" and kicked this poor little dog so hard it lifted off the ground. Sadie, who is allergic to dogs, marched into the store and offered the man $50 for the puppy. He accepted and she took the puppy home, made a few phone calls and within hours found him a home with a couple who live in a farmhouse.
-- Francis Holland, Brooklyn, New York

[Karen]

And They Call It Puppy Love

One night in Seattle my girlfriend, Sadie, and I saw a homeless man tie his puppy to a parking meter and head into a supermarket. Unhappy about being left outside, the puppy started barking. The man turned around, shouted "Shut up!" and kicked this poor little dog so hard it lifted off the ground. Sadie, who is allergic to dogs, marched into the store and offered the man $50 for the puppy. He accepted and she took the puppy home, made a few phone calls and within hours found him a home with a couple who live in a farmhouse.
-- Francis Holland, Brooklyn, New York

I would have offered him $5 if anything, but I might have been tempted to just "poof" the puppy and leave a note saying "taken by someone with a heart."

[kuhio98]

Room to Spare

Last year my 23-year-old daughter, Shannon, was diagnosed with a rare aggressive cancer. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, Shannon said she'd like to take a trip with our extended family of 15. I began researching vacation homes online to find something financially feasible. I came across a property in the Bahamas and e-mailed the owner, Ann, describing the nature of our visit. She responded by offering us her house at no charge. What's more, she contacted her friends who own vacation homes and explained our situation so that we'd have other options in case we needed to be close to U.S. medical facilities. Ann's friends offered us houses and condos all over America. Some volunteered frequent-flier miles and spending money for the trip! We wound up staying at Ann's house, but I can't even begin to express how it felt to receive so much love and generosity from total strangers during such a difficult time.
-- Joanne Yoder, Royersford, Pennsylvania