The good guys thread

[Karen]

Okay, English Majors ~ Which is correct? Ospreys who or Ospreys that
Isn't who used when speaking of people?

In general, "who" is used for people, and "that" is used for things. So it depends on whether you regard all living critters as people, or as things!

[kuhio98]

Making the best of a bad situation: Family cancels wedding, ends up feeding 200 strangers

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) - A local family turned a canceled event into a chance to bless others affected by homelessness.

Willie Fowler says his family was planning a wedding celebration Sunday when it was abruptly canceled.

The family decided to partner with Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless and treat 200 people to a meal at the restaurant Villa Christina.

"Seeing people that may have or may not have an opportunity to dine in a place like this," said donor Willie Fowler," for me to be able to assist them in doing this that's reward enough for me."

People who took part in the event say the kindness of the Fowler family encourages them to move forward despite their difficult circumstances.

[kuhio98]

Veterinary Angel
A dog came to the veterinarian's office in terrible shape. But the vet just wouldn't give up on her.
By Tracy Land, DVM, Cumming, Georgia

Ten dogs were brought into our clinic that day. All with the same owners, all in bad shape: malnourished, severely underweight, mangy and flea-ridden.

The worst of the lot was a black German shepherd named Maggie. She was rail thin. Every bone in her body showed. She was covered with open sores from her mange. I cradled her head in my hands and sighed, having seen cases like this far too often in my 15 years as a veterinarian.

Overpopulation is the leading cause of death among pets. Millions of dogs and cats are put down every year because no one wants them. That's why I dedicate a big part of my practice to spaying and neutering. We've done more than 23,000 operations over the past six years, a lot for our small staff.

The clinic runs on a shoestring budget. I believed it was my duty to give discounts to people who couldn't otherwise afford to get their pets fixed. More than once I prayed we wouldn't have to close down. Who would take care of the animals if we didn't?

"You can pick them up later on today," I told the couple who'd brought the dogs in. I hated sending animals back to such poor living conditions, but I had no choice. At least after the procedure, they wouldn't be able to have unwanted puppies.

We cleaned the dogs up and prepped them for surgery. Everything went smoothly, and most of the dogs recovered well. All but Maggie. She was extremely sluggish. An exam confirmed that she was bleeding into her abdomen.

I figured a tied-off artery was leaking or there was a nick somewhere. It happened once in a while and wasn't a big deal. We'd find the source, stop the bleeding and close her up.

But I was shocked when I went in. Maggie's abdomen overflowed with blood. I soaked it up with surgical sponges. That didn't help. Blood spilled onto the table, then the floor.

My hands searched everywhere—every vein, artery and organ—but I couldn't find the source of the bleeding. I closed my eyes to block out any distractions, concentrating on what I felt with my fingers. Where is the blood coming from? I did everything I knew to do, twice. Maggie was bleeding to death. Please, God, save this dog. I can't.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Just like that, the bleeding stopped. Completely. After a few minutes and a few more sponges, Maggie's abdomen was clean and dry. There was no blood oozing from anywhere. And no explanation for what had happened.

The nurses stood in silence as I sewed Maggie up. We gave her fresh blood, drugs to prevent shock and infection, and bundled her in blankets. I didn't think she'd last the night, which I told her owners when they came to get the other dogs. "Come back tomorrow," I said. "We'll see how she's doing then." I left the clinic exhausted and depressed.

First thing in the morning I went to check on Maggie. "Hey, girl," I said. She looked up at me and weakly wagged her tail. "You've got more fight than I gave you credit for." We put her on a special diet. Within 24 hours, Maggie was eating, drinking and walking. She'd come a long way, but still, her health wasn't good.Maggie had heartworms and intestinal worms. The resulting anemia, low protein levels and liver damage meant her blood couldn't clot, like a hemophiliac's. That was why there was so much blood.

When Maggie's owners returned, I explained the dog's medical problems. "She'll need expensive treatment," I told them. "But there's no charge for her emergency care."

They left, saying they'd come back later. They didn't. State law requires that we send a registered letter to any owner who abandons a pet. Then the owner has 10 days to pick the pet up. We sent Maggie's owners such a letter. Three days passed. No response. The next day, their check for the initial visit bounced. I knew we'd never see them again. What to do about Maggie?

Maggie seemed to understand we were trying to help her. She was cooperative and sweet. She licked the hands that stuck her with needles. At the same time, she was very aggressive toward strangers. She charged threateningly and snarled at any new person she saw.

Usually we try to find a home for an abandoned animal, but people don't want to adopt a dog that might bite. After the 10-day waiting period, Maggie would have to be euthanized. It was day eight. You can't keep every unwanted pet you come across, I told myself. But Maggie seemed special, like she was meant to be mine.

God, Maggie should have died during her operation. But you saved her when I couldn't. Why, since we're just going to have to put her down?

The whole staff knew we shouldn't get too attached. "Goodbye, Maggie," I said before leaving for home. Her tail thumped against the floor.

I lay in bed that night unable to sleep. I kept thinking about Maggie. If only she were a gentle dog, then we could find a home for her.

I dreaded going to the clinic the next morning. Dreaded seeing Maggie greet me with a wagging tail. When I got there, I noticed the benches on the front porch were missing. That's odd. I looked around and saw that the door of the garden shed was open. The tools were gone. We've been robbed!

I scrambled for my keys, sure I'd find the place ransacked. We'd be ruined financially. I unlocked the door and threw it open. Everything was in order. No medication missing. No money gone. Nothing had been disturbed. We were still in business!

Thump, thump. I spun my head and saw Maggie, tail hitting the floor. In my worry, I'd forgotten about her. "Thank God you're all right," I said. And then I realized what had happened. Maggie was all right because the burglars never got in. They didn't even try. Surely, Maggie snarled at them through the window, scaring them off. "You saved the clinic, didn't you, girl?" I gave her a treat and a rub on the head. Our hero.

Now I knew for sure why Maggie had been saved on the operating table. And I knew there was no way we could put her down. Thanks to her, the clinic could go on saving animals. Not all of them, but as many as we possibly could.

Today, Maggie's gained about 20 pounds. Her sores have healed, and her fur grew in thick and shiny. She's a beautiful, happy, healthy dog. She's a permanent staff member now—the best security guard we've ever had. And a daily reminder that animals are precious not only to me, but to someone who really can care for every single one.

[kuhio98]

Good-Deed Pranksters Spread Joy With $200 Tips

A prank usually leaves someone shocked and embarrassed. But a duo of good-deed pranksters decided to give food servers a terrific surprise, a $200 tip. YouTube personalities Stuart Edge and Andrew Hale stopped by several diners in Orem, Utah, to record the recipients' shocked reactions, and they are pretty awesome. The jokesters start out by asking their servers what is the largest tip they have ever received. And then they leave each a $200 tip while the camera secretly records the server's reaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Q4enUE8qt_Q

The video has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube, and it's leaving commenters with a warm and fuzzy feeling. One commenter wrote, "Now these are the kind of pranksters I like." In the video, one of the waiters says that he makes only about $2.13 an hour, so the tip is gladly welcomed. A female server's co-worker tells the guys that she was recently hit by a car while on her bike, adding, "Thanks for making her night." In the end, it seems that Andrew and Stuart got more out of the good-deed pranks than the servers. The only thing left to do is to pass it on, people!

[kuhio98]

Minnesota DQ manager's good deed gets attention

MINNEAPOLIS — Joey Prusak was appalled when he saw a customer at the suburban Minneapolis Dairy Queen store where he works pick up someone else's $20 bill and slip it into her purse.

So when the woman got up to the counter to order, Prusak refused to serve her unless she returned the money. When the woman refused, the 19-year-old store manager went a step further: He gave the visually impaired customer who hadn't realized he'd dropped the money $20 out of his own pocket.

"I was just doing what I thought was right," Prusak said Thursday as he recalled the incident from earlier this month. "I did it without even really thinking about it. ... Ninety-nine out of 100 people would've done the same thing as me.

"Even so, Prusak has received loads of praise since a customer's email about him to Dairy Queen was posted online.

Now, people are calling the store, thanking Prusak and even offering him jobs. Customer traffic at the Hopkins Dairy Queen has doubled, and many people are leaving large tips — money that Prusak says he will donate to charity.

Prusak said he even got a call Thursday from billionaire Warren Buffett, whose company owns Dairy Queen. "He called and thanked me for being a role model for all the other employees and people in general," Prusak said.

Prusak has worked at the Hopkins Dairy Queen since he was 14. He's trying to save money to go to school for business management and has managed the store since the spring.

The visually impaired customer who dropped the money during the Sept. 10 lunch rush was a regular. Prusak said he thought the woman who picked up the $20 bill would return it. Instead, she looked at the man, then put the cash in her purse.

"I was appalled," Prusak said. "I didn't know what to do or say."

Prusak thought for a moment, and when the woman approached the window, he asked her to return the money. But she claimed it was hers. The conversation went back and forth. Finally, Prusak recalled, he told the woman: "Please return the $20 or get out of the store, because I'm not going to serve someone as disrespectful as you."

Prusak said the woman stormed out, and he served the other customers. He then went over to the man eating his sundae and gave him $20. Prusak didn't tell anyone about it, other than the other employee in the store.

But another customer saw the incident and sent an email to Dairy Queen. The email was forwarded to store owner Dave Pettit, who posted it at the store. Another employee took a picture, which has been circulating online.

Dean Peters, a spokesman for International Dairy Queen, said the company is figuring out how to reward Prusak.

Prusak said when he saw what happened, he just couldn't keep quiet.

"I was going to say something no matter what," he said. "If she would have returned the money, then I would have served her."

[Karen]

Good for him, standing up for what is right, regardless of expense to himself.

[kuhio98]

Random Acts of Everyday Angels
It's too easy to overlook the small kindnesses. But where would we be without these Earth Angels?

By Colleen Hughes, New York, New York

Ask me if I’ve ever seen an angel, and my quick answer is, No. I just love to help bring to life the angel stories people tell us. And that’s what I was doing the other day when the phone rang. “Hey, Colleen, it’s Angelo. Your Subaru’s ready to go.”

Every morning I jumped out of my car and ran past Angelo’s garage, high-tailing it to catch my bus at the corner. “Can’t be late for work!” I’d yell. This particular morning I had to let the bus go by and tend to the rattle in my car. Angelo promised he’d get to it ASAP—and here it was, finished. Too bad I wouldn’t get there in time to pick it up and pay him before he closed up shop for the day.

“I’ll stop in before my bus comes in the morning, how’s that?”

Angelo laughed. “You’ll be rushing, Colleen. Key’s under the driver’s side mat. Take your car and come see me on the weekend.”

“Wow, thanks!” I said. How often did a car mechanic care so much about his customers getting to work on time?

I returned to my angels reading. But Angelo’s kindness kept coming back to me. In his busy day he’d gone out of his way to consider me and my needs.

Then I remembered the grocery store clerk who’d rummaged around for a 10% off Thanksgiving coupon from a circular I hadn’t seen. “I know you like saving as much as I do,” she’d said. And the lifeguard who’d put aside the prescription sunglasses I’d left behind on the Fourth of July. Or the spring afternoon I’d found the postman fixing the red flag on my mailbox. All these people taking an unexpected interest in my everyday life.

As I thought back over the past year, I made a resolution. Ask me again if I’ve ever seen an angel. Yes, I have. Countless times.