Category: Awesome Stories

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Colorado Community Steps Up And Replaces Senior Dog’s Stolen Wheelchair

A Colorado woman is thankful for her community after they came together to replace her senior dog’s stolen wheelchair.

In an interview with CBS News on November 18, Megan Caligiuri of Englewood reveals how her senior’s dog wheelchair got stolen and how her community responded to the theft.

Caligiuri said that she has owned a rescued Schnauzer mix, named Griff, for almost 15 years. According to her, she and her dog have always been active – they travel the country and go on 10-mile hikes.

Naturally, as Griff got older, the trips became shorter.

And while Griff is a little bit energetic for his age, he can no longer walk without assistance.

So, in order to still be able to take Griff on adventures (no matter how short they are), Caligiuri bought him a dog wheelchair that helps with the pooch’s weakened hind legs.

The wheelchair was a game changer for Griff, Caligiuri said. “Someone saw him trucking around in the snow and was like, ‘He’s such an inspiration!”

However, on the night of November 18, someone sadly stole the senior pooch’s wheels.

Caligiuri explained, “I take them off after every walk. I leave them outside because they’re dirty. He rolls around through stuff.”

“The next morning, he’s pretty jazzed for his next walk. I go outside and they’re gone. I have no faith left in humanity that someone would steal a disabled dog’s wheelchair,” Caligiuri said.

After the robbery, Caligiuri filed a police report and posted about it on the neighborhood social app, Nextdoor, hoping someone can help her find her dog’s missing wheels.

Even though they’re small, dog wheelchairs are not affordable. So, Caligiuri wanted to get back her dog’s wheels.

However, what Caligiuri didn’t expect was the reaction from her community when they saw her post.

“Over 80 people responded, offering donations, resources, and support,” Caligiuri reveals after saying that it was heartwarming to see that much compassion.

She also reveals, “Someone said they saw a guy on a bike, with what looked like the wheels, serving as a trailer.”

Now, the news of Griff’s stolen wheelchair has spread across the community.

And that’s how Kathryn Groenewold with Paw Prosper, the parent company of Walkin’ Pets, found out.

Walkin’ Pets is a company that offers wheelchairs and support products to improve pet mobility. And Groenewold said the story of Griff’s stolen wheelchair left her team heartbroken.

So, Groenewold and her team got to work and hand-delivered Griff’s brand new wheels on Thursday, November 21.

“Our team works very hard to make sure that each chair is perfectly fitting for the dog,” said Groenewold.

“We hope that Griff and Megan are going to be able to enjoy more good days together as a result.”

Now, Caligiuri and Griff can continue on with their adventures and enjoy their walks thanks to the kindness of their community.

Caligiuri tells CBS News, “I feel so overwhelmed by the kindness of people. This is how he gets around and how he enjoys life and experiences life.”

“My faith in humanity has been restored. Thank you, everyone, so much.”

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Russian Dog Dubbed As ‘Hachiko 2.0’, Found Sitting Beside Frozen River Waiting For Dead Owner’s Return

Time and time again, dogs prove to us why they are called “Man’s Best Friend”.

And in another display of dogs’ unwavering loyalty, a Russian dog was recently found patiently sitting beside a frozen river where her owner tragically met his end, waiting for him to come back.

RT on X (previously Twitter) shared a video of the dog, named Belka, and how she refused to leave the site where her owner died.

Belka’s owner, a 59-year-old man, was reportedly riding his bicycle in Russia’s frozen Ufa River on November 24 when the tragic incident happened.

He fell into the freezing water when the brittle ice beneath him suddenly gave away.

The Sun reports that a Good Samaritan tried to save him, but the river’s strong currents were no match for him.

The Good Samaritan reportedly nearly lost his own life trying to save Belka’s owner, and was found suffering with severe frostbite.

A multi-day search was launched to find Belka’s owner, and rescue crew were able to locate the man’s bicycle, and later his body, in the Ufa River downstream.

Kirill Pervov, head of the rescue service in Bashkiria, told The Sun, “During the search, the rescue team used an air cushion boat with a hooking device to survey the river bottom.”

“Search work was complicated by difficult conditions – a strong current and unstable ice crust.”

Ever since the incident, Belka has been waiting for her owner to come home. The pooch can be found sitting on the ice, day and night, even while rescue operations were underway.

RT reveals that even though the man’s family took Belka to their home, the loyal pooch kept coming back to the same spot where she lost her owner.

The Russian dog’s loyalty has been compared to the legendary Japanese Akita dog, Hachiko, who famously waited at the Shibuya Station in Japan for his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, to return for almost 10 years.

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Dog Who Is Afraid Of The Vet Meets Her Newest Vet, And It’s Someone She Never Expected

A dog is going viral for meeting her hooman “sister” at the vet office, only to find out she is now her vet!

Like a lot of dogs, Cricket isn’t very fond of going to the vet office. However, she got the bamboozle of her life when her owner, TikTok user, Bob Kuykendall (@realtorbobk), brought her to the vet to meet her hooman sister – as her vet.

In the TikTok video, Cricket seems to be confused by what was happening. Her hooman sister, Maddie, was down the hall of the vet office, and she does not understand why!

Cricket slowly approaches her sister with a wagging tail, but hesitated and ran back to her dad. However, when Maddie approached the reluctant pooch, the sweet pup started relaxing and wagging his tail.

“Cricket the pitty wants to be afraid of the vet, but the vet is family… and then BAM, fecal test and three injections. Dog needs therapy,” Kuykendall wrote in the video’s caption.

Kuykendall talks about the encounter and more about Cricket with The Dodo.

He said that Cricket is like a social butterfly that loves going places and meeting people.

Watch on TikTok

“She is submissive to everything! Even cats and chickens. When we trail walk, if we pass someone and they avoid her or don’t pet her, she stands and stares and whines, wondering why they didn’t pet her. She really could be a poster dog for pits,” Kuykendall shares.

However, if there is one thing Cricket is not fond of, it’s the vet office – because it makes her a little nervous.

Kuykendall reveals that while Cricket has spent a lot of time at the vet when she was a puppy after breaking her leg, she doesn’t have fond memories of that place.

“My daughter just became a veterinarian this year, so it was our first visit to her,” Kuykendall tells The Dodo.

“I don’t know if her perception has totally changed,” Kuykendall said. “It’ll be an ongoing thing, but I bet she’ll look around for my daughter in the future for some comfort.”

The video of the sisters’ encounter at the vet has garnered almost 100,000 likes and over 600,000 views.

TikTok users are feeling Cricket’s betrayal of her sister going over to ‘the bad side’.

One user wrote, “the betrayal 😂😂 he knows this place is not good but the human is.”

“This is the equivalent of your mom being the school nurse when you want to get out of class,” another wrote.

Well, we hope Cricket will be less nervous at the vet office now that she has her hooman sister as her vet!