The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Today’s something good is a happy ending.
In Tennessee, a tip that a large dog with a leash was running around unsupervised in the neighborhood went out to McKamey Animal Center, according to CBS News. When their team picked the Great Pyrenees- German Shepard, they discovered a note attached.
It read:
My name is Lilo. Please keep my name. Please love me. My mom can’t keep me and is homeless with 2 kids. She tried her best but can’t get help. I cost too much for her. She really loves me & I’m a great dg & love to be loved on. Please don’t abuse me.
Lauren Mann, director of advancement at the shelter, told CBS, “It is one of the saddest things I’ve ever read. The last line is really hit us all here, is: ‘Please don’t abuse me.’ When you looked at Lilo, you could tell right away that she was very well cared for and definitely loved. That was definitely the truth.”
She continued, “A shelter is not the same as a home so at the end of the day, we’d rather you keep your pet. And we’re able to do anything we can to make sure that happens.”
Lilo had an advantage that other dogs surrendered by the homeless often don’t have: a note.
The shelter posted about Lilo on Facebook and TikTok with the hope that the owner would come forward and be reunited with Lilo. The owner contacted them not long after and was able to identify herself sufficiently to Mann so that she and the children could be reunited with Lilo.
“It was very clear when Lilo entered the room that that was her family. Everyone was extremely happy, there was not a dry eye in the room,” Mann said. “The kids were also just as excited, and emotional as everyone else.”
The shelter has a fund to help in situations like this – providing anything from food and supplies to paying for a pet deposit so an apartment is in reach – and is helping Lilo’s family find pet-friendly shelter and resources so they can keep Lilo.
Dogs are something good. Now it’s your turn… tell me something good!
