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

[kuhio98]

The Harvest

Once Celebration Assembly was cooking meals for the homeless. They had green beans, hamburger, cheese, and tomato sauce. The Deacon was wondering what we could cook with just those ingredients. The budget was in the red, so there was no money to buy more food. The pastor said we are going to pray. The Pastor and the Deacon went over to the truck stop to get some coffee and to pray. They noticed a trucker outside that seemed upset. So the Pastor went outside and said to the trucker "Is there any way we can help? We know a mechanic if that is what you need." He said "No, the problem is that my truck is 300 lbs overweight." "What are you transporting?" The pastor asked. "Potatoes!" was the reply. The pastor thanked God and gladly loaded up the trucker's extra potatoes and took them back to the church to cook. Needless to say they feed many!!

[kuhio98]

Sister to Sister

Years ago I was helping my older sister pack for a move. I was a typical self-centered teen, yet I surprised myself by slipping the jacket I was wearing, which she had admired many times, into one of the boxes so she'd get a surprise gift from me when she unpacked. Not long after that my sister was killed in a car accident. That simple gesture took on a lot of significance. I never got to say good-bye to her, so I'm grateful I had a chance to express my love in even that small way.
-- Shannon Holman, Brooklyn, New York

[kuhio98]

Stuck at Waffle House

On our way home, we decided to stop in for a late night snack at Waffle House near the airport. A couple came in shortly after us and sat in the next booth. We overheard that they were stuck at the airport & had a food voucher from American Airlines, but Waffle House didn't accept their voucher. So we anonymously paid their bill along with our own.

[kuhio98]

Lunch

About three weeks ago my best friend in the whole world died. I was in my car today and ordered fast food at taco bell. I didn't care what i ate because i was missing my friend, so i ordered the same thing as the car in front of me. When i pulled up to pay, the cashier told me the lady in front of me paid for my lunch!!! I was so touched! I bought lunch for the man in the car behind me. Even though his lunch was twice as much as mine, I thought what the heck, I could die today at least i made someone happy. Thanks Lady in the white SUV you made my day!!!

[kuhio98]

Because Hearing a Parent's Voice Is Priceless

Operation Record a Story lets kids hear their deployed military parent read them a bedtime story. Publications International is donating 5,000 books (which capture the soldier's voice reading the story out loud) to the USO and United Through Reading, two organizations that will help servicemen and servicewomen record and then send the books to their children.

[kuhio98]

A Cold Winter Night

One cold winter night in Ottawa (-35 degrees) I was waiting at a bus stop to catch the bus home. I had only moved to the City a couple of weeks before. An Out-of-Service bus stopped and the driver informed me I had missed the last bus of the night. He then drove me to the nearest active bus stop and gave me the correct directions to get home. He probably broke the OCTranspo rules to do it, but I greatly appreciated his act of kindness.

[kuhio98]

If the Shoe Fits

After working the evening shift as a doorman at a resort in Chicago, my husband, Ben, arrived home in his stocking feet. Apparently a hotel guest had checked in that night facing an early-morning job interview. He discovered that he'd forgotten to pack his dress shoes and it was too late to shop for a new pair, so Ben lent him the dress shoes off his own feet. Fortunately for the man, he wore the exact same shoe size as my husband.
-- Deborah J. Rebolloso, Santee, California

[kuhio98]

The Sick Basset Hound

After volunteering at the humane association for a couple of months, I noticed that one dog, an 8 year old basset hound, was one of the only ones that had been there the whole time I worked there. I had taken to walking her every visit, as no one else ever walked her. I asked one of the employees why she hadn't been adopted, and they said she was twice and abandoned, but got sent back because she was too old, so she was depressed. She also told me that there wasn't enough room to keep her for much longer, so they would have to euthanize her. It was about my birthday time, and my mom knew how much I loved her, so my parents got her for me as my gift! My dad showed up when I was at a friends house and suprised me by taking me to get her. However, once we filed for adoption, we learned she had lyme's disease and had a bad heart. We got her anyway! A few days later, she was super excited and was running around with our other dog when she fell over. She started convulsing and slamming her head against the ground while crying; we had no idea what was wrong with her, or what to do. We took her to the vet, where they did an exam and took x-rays of her heart. It turns out her heart was not only "bad," but was enlarged to a point where it was pushing against her spine. She also had a heart murmur, which caused her lungs to fill with fluid-causing her to faint if she got too excited. My parents had to buy a few hundred dollars worth of pills, where at one point, she was taking 18 pills a day. Because of these problems, she was estimated to have to be euthanized within little time. I knew that it would be unbearable when that moment came, but I would give her a happy ending. It is now almost a year and a half later, and she is still fighting the odds by enjoying her life!