Fun/Heart-warming Stories

Started by Corrine, January 13, 2015, 11:42:09 PM

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DR M

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

Corrine

Me too, Panos.

Here's one I've seen several times and is being shared again:

QuoteThey told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly. I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to. And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes and a sealed letter from his previous owner.

See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.
Maybe we were too much alike.

I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten about that. "Okay, Reggie," I said out loud, "let's see if your previous owner has any advice."
____________ _________ _________ _________
To Whomever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie's new owner. I'm not even happy writing it. He knew something was different.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls. The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's part squirrel, the way he hoards them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't
matter where you throw them, he'll bound after them, so be careful. Don't do it by any roads.
Next, commands. Reggie knows the obvious ones ---"sit," "stay," "come," "heel."

He knows hand signals, too: He knows "ball" and "food" and "bone" and "treat" like nobody's business.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He's up on his shots. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet. Good luck getting him in the car. I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. It's only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He's gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn't bark or complain. He just loves to be around people, and me most especially.
And that's why I need to share one more bit of info with you...His name's not Reggie. He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn't bear to give them his real name. But if someone is reading this ... well it means that his new owner should know his real name. His real name is "Tank." Because, that is what I drive.

I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie" available for adoption until they received word from my company commander. You see, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've left Tank with .. and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter ... in the "event" ... to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my CO is a dog-guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he'd do it personally. And if you're reading this, then he made good on his word.

Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family. And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family, too, and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he
loved me.
If I have to give up Tank to keep those terrible people from coming to the US I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you,

Paul Mallory
____________ _________ _________ _______

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure, I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver
Star when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.
I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months. "Tank," I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my
face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me." Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

"So whatdaya say we play some ball?" His ears perked again.

"Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?"

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared into the next room. And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth."


Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

DR M

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

DonnaB

Bittersweet. Beyond speechless.........  :'(
"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

ComicsLover

Should have paid attention to my intuition and stopped reading before things went south.  Now I'm typing by memory because...something in both eyes.   :'(

Corrine

Yes, I know what you mean.  Whether true or not, it will do that to a person.


Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

DonnaB

"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

DR M



A woman took in a dog who was in such bad shape that she thought she was giving him a dignified place to die. But all the pup needed to survive was a little bit of love.

Due to Greece’s financial issues, the country has a lot of stray dogs. Valia Orfanidou of Athens follows several animal rescue groups on Facebook in order to foster some of these pups. On any given day, Orfanidou sees so many pictures of needy dogs online that she's almost become desensitized.

But one day in November 2014 she was scrolling through her feed when a picture of a stray struck her to her core. He was cowering over, and so starved that his ribs were visible.

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/valia-orfanidou-billy-starving-stray-dog-transformed-by-love_56956864e4b09dbb4bacf2b8?cps=gravity_5054_-6139848418468844798&kvcommref=mostpopular

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

DonnaB

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were... A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's early bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m. , a perfectly timed four-ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..

A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show'? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

DonnaB

Xena Warrior Kitten ~ A heart warming story from a day in the life of Donna...

Monday, July 11th 2016. First day back to work after a week's time off to get away from the normal stresses in life and spend time with family.  Left office late to begin my daily mail deliveries, which turns out to be a really good thing for one little feral kitty the world could care less about. I had just left the Bank after dropping off their mail and was walking back to my mail truck when I noticed a lady walking with her hands cupped kind of crouched over. She disappeared behind my truck and I couldn't see what she was doing till I got over to the driver door side and noticed she had dropped to her knees looking at the ground. Honestly, I thought she was sick and went over to her hoping to help her in any way I could. As I got closer I noticed she was looking down at a little kitten she had laid there in the grass. The kitten was in severe distress, mouth open barely breathing, and the lady told me she had just watched the kitten get hit by not only a car, yet a semi trailer truck. She couldn't bare to leave the kitten in the road so she picked it up and placed it gently in the grass next to the church. The lady was very distraught wanting to get up and walk away saying she couldn't bear to stay and watch the kitten die. I asked her to touch and comfort the kitten then walked back over to my mail truck to grab my phone. I called my Supervisor and told him what had happened and asked if I could use my 1/2 hour lunch to deviate from my route and run the kitten half way across town to the VCA County West Animal Hospital to put the kitten down so it wouldn't suffer. He allowed me the opportunity to do so, so I grabbed a tray that was full of mail, took the mail out and ran over to put the kitten in the tray and rushed the kitty over to the Hospital (they know me very well). As I rushed through the door I told them what happened and if the kitten could be saved and lead a normal quality life to do what they could to save it at any cost and the lady at the desk (her name is Patty) did not waste any time getting the kitten in the back so Dr. B. could size up the situation as I signed papers up front to have it euthanized, if necessary.  Patty came back a couple minutes later and said there were no broken bones and they would do an x-ray to verify this assumption and keep me informed to the kittens progress or if they had to put it down, so I left knowing the kitten was in good hands.

Later in the day I got a text message from Dr. B. that said she put her (yes, she was a girl which I did not know till I got the text) on meds for swelling in the brain which is the only trauma the kitten had experienced. By the end of the day she was awake and biting the Dr. as she was being examined and receiving more meds though she was not able to stand or sit but as Dr. said, "We are not out of the woods yet. Thinking that a name would make her stronger I allowed the girls in the office to name her. They chose Xena Warrior Kitten. They aged her at 6 weeks of age and she weighed about 1 lb. The vet tech (Mel) took her home for over night observation and so she could be re-examined again by Dr. B. on Tuesday, which happened to be my regular day off though I had to run up near Chicago, so they kitty sat her and I picked her up when I returned and even though she was in guarded condition there was hope for a full recovery. By this time she was able to stand. sit and take food with a syringe. Unfortunately I had to work on Wednesday the 13th so my daughter kept an eye on her in my absence though I was called at 1pm and told that she was having seizures, so when I got off work we headed back to the Vet and Dr. B. put her on steroids to help ease the swelling in her brain and said she would contact a neurologist friend of hers to ask for more advice since we may have to out her on phenobarbital if the seizures persisted. I am very happy to say that she has not had a seizure since we started her on the steroid and my fingers are crossed that when she is taken off the drug that all will be well for her. She is now eating on her own, using the litter box and playing like nothing had even happened.



"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

Corrine

To top it off, Xena is a cute little darlin'.  I have the distinct feeling that you have other stories much like this one about rescued cats/kittens.


Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

DonnaB

I do Corrine, though most do not turn out so well. :(  The sad part is that the lady who saved her from the inevitable and laid her in the grass has no idea she survived and I did not think to get her name so I could let her know the good outcome. This really bothers me... Poor girl is going to go through life thinking the worse.
"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

DonnaB

You might want to grab a tissue before clicking on the link below... On second thought, you might want to grab two..

20 Heartwarming Stories That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity.
"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."
Tom Robbins

Corrine



Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

DR M

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."