Category: Awww

Tissue (Boxes) Alert: ‘Denali’ a Touching Tribute to a Dying Dog

“It could have gone cheesy or too sappy or too sad, so quickly,” Ben Moon told TODAY last week.

He was talking about the now-viral short film, “Denali,” a beautiful tribute to his dying Pit Bull/Husky mix. Although it is indeed sad (and even funny sometimes), it is never cheesy or sappy.

Moon, a photographer who lives in Portland, Ore., rescued Denali from an animal shelter in 1999.

“As soon as I passed him, he put his paw out, cocked his head and kind of looked at me,” Moon told TODAY. “He tore a lap around the room, and then laid on my feet, and rolled up on his back, and looked at me. It felt like he chose me.”

Five years later, Moon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Nurses at the Bend, Ore., hospital where he was being treated allowed Denali to stay with Moon.

“When he was in the hospital bed with me, he’d just sort of step up there so gently, it was kind of mind-blowing,” Moon told TODAY. “He made sure he wasn’t touching anything that was in pain and not invading my space.”

One year later, Moon was cancer free. He spent the next few years traveling around the country with Denali, snapping photos of their adventures together.

Early last year, Denali was diagnosed with cancer. Four tumors were removed, but the 14-year-old dog’s health continued to decline.

“That’s when I promised him, ‘Just let me know when it’s your time to go, man; I’m not going to let you suffer,'” Moon told TODAY. “It felt like this grand reciprocation, because he had been with me while I had gone through cancer.”

Knowing Denali’s days were numbered, Moon decided to have his final visit to the beach filmed.

“Denali” was directed and written by Ben Knight of the production company Felt Soul Media, which, according to its website, strives to “cause the rare magical goose bump that occurs when pictures and sound are squished together just right.”

The film shows that last beach visit, as well as plenty of photos that show the incredible bond between Moon and his beloved dog. It is narrated from the point of view of Denali himself.

In April, “Denali” received the Best of Festival and People’s Choice awards at the 5Point Film Festival in Colorado. It was also an official selection at Telluride Mountainfilm. Posted on Vimeo two months ago, “Denali” has gotten millions of views.

“I was hoping it would resonate and connect with people, but when we passed a million views, it was mind-blowing,” Moon told Men’s Journal.

Denali crossed the Rainbow Bridge in early February 2014. Moon told TODAY he recognized the look in his dog’s eyes, and knew it was time to end his suffering.

“It’s impossible to put into words all that you were and will always be to me,” Moon wrote in a eulogy for Denali on Instagram. “I was always convinced you were more human than dog, and all of the countless lives you touched felt the same.

“Thank you for your unwavering belief in me. Happy trails, my friend!”

Photos via Instagram

Aww: High School Yearbook Includes Photos of Service Dogs

Among the hundreds of photos in the 2015 yearbook for Minnesota’s Blaine High School are those of Caramel Thomas and Dakota Comancho.

But the photos of Caramel and Dakota stand out just a bit from the others. The two are service dogs.

Caramel belongs to Rebecca Thomas, who is hearing impaired and teaches American sign language at Blaine High. For the past nine years, her service dog Caramel has joined her in class.

Dakota, a certified therapy dog, belongs to Vicky Camancho, who teaches a special education class at the school and brings in Dakota once a week.

“The students love seeing the service dogs in the yearbook,” Thomas told Yahoo Canada.

The photos were originally posted on Tumblr two weeks ago.

“A couple teachers at my school have service dogs and they get their own picture in the yearbook,” wrote Kate, who uploaded the photos. “It’s amazing.”

Photos of the two dogs have previously been included in the staff section of Blaine High’s yearbooks. It all started a couple years ago, when Dakota’s photo was taken for an identification badge on class picture day.

“When we got the disc of student and staff photos, we automatically flowed the pictures into the yearbook page sections,” Faculty Adviser Jill Farrell told the Star Tribune. “The editors and I giggled like mad when we saw that a picture of Dakota was included in the images.”

Lynn Florman, head of the special education department, told Yahoo Canada the photos send a positive message.

“Sometimes the unique services they provide are not understood or valued by others, so seeing them recognized in such a public and memorable way as a yearbook sends a strong message to all that they are an integral part of the team that supports our students,” Florman said.

She said it warmed her heart to watch distraught or shy students be comforted by Dakota’s presence

“In many ways, Dakota represents the best qualities we hope to teach our students,” Florman said. “Unconditional love and acceptance, patience and tolerance for those who are different.”

Photos via Twitter; Tumblr

Hero Guide Dog Tries to Protect Blind Woman from Being Hit by Bus

JUNE 10, 2015 UPDATE: An awesome, unidentified benefactor is paying for all of Figo’s veterinary bills. More good news: Figo won’t have to wear a “cone of shame.”

“He’s a good boy and he’s leaving his bandage alone,” Dr. Angela O’Donnell of Middlebranch Veterinary told the Journal News today. “That points to the strides he’s making. If it was bothering him more, he probably would be chewing at it.”

Audrey Stone, whose life Figo saved, told the Journal News the dog “deserves the purple heart.” If you’d like to send her a card or note, mail it to Audrey Stone, c/o Trinity Lutheran Church, 2103 Route 6, Brewster, NY 10509.

The driver of a mini-bus apparently didn’t see Audrey Stone, who is blind, and her guide dog, Figo, walking across a street in Brewster, N.Y., yesterday morning.

Figo, however, immediately saw the bus coming toward them. He literally sprang into action and jumped toward the vehicle.

“I don’t know if (the driver) thought (Stone) was going to move faster, but it looks like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her,” Paul Schwartz, who witnessed it all, told the Journal News.

Both Figo and Stone were hit by the bus, but thanks to the guide dog’s heroic action, they are alive today. Stone suffered several fractures, and Figo’s right front leg was severely cut.

“There were 15 EMTs and people all around her, and the dog didn’t want to leave her side,” Schwartz said. “He was flopping over to her and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either. She kept screaming, ‘Where’s Figo?’ We kept telling her he was fine.”

Dogs are not allowed in ambulances, so after Stone was taken away to a hospital, Schwartz said the guide dog seemed kind of lost. Firefighters put Figo in their truck and took him to Middlebranch Veterinary, where he had surgery on his leg.

A staff member told the Journal News Figo was welcome to stay at the animal hospital “as long as Audrey needs before she takes him home.”

In an update on its Facebook page this morning, the animal hospital wrote, “All of us at Middlebranch Veterinary would like to thank everyone for the generous outpouring of well wishes for the service dog Figo. He is resting comfortably and recovering nicely from his wounds.”

Photos via Facebook, Twitter

Ike’s Mom Donates Custom-Built Home Depot Wagon to Another Dog

Back in March, it really warmed the heart that Ernesto Moran and Justin Wadman, two awesome employees at the Home Depot in Hawthorne, Calif., voluntarily built a custom wagon for Ike, a 15-year-old Irish Wolfhound mix who had difficulty walking due to bone cancer.

Ike’s dog mom, Risa Feldman, had simply asked Moran for advice on how to improve the existing cart for the dog she rescued 12 years ago.

“I showed him the cart that I was trying to use and I asked him, ‘What can I do to change this cart and build it so that it’s longer or his size?'” Feldman told KABC. “He just shook his head and said, ‘Let me give it some thought and I’ll call you later.'”

Talk about Employees of the Year: Moran and Wadman went ahead and built a brand-new “Ike’s Trike” wagon themselves, and gave it to Feldman free of charge.

“I offered to build this for her and let her know that it’s something that Home Depot offers — giving back to our customers,” Moran told KABC.

Ike loved riding in his custom wagon along the beach, which he did until he crossed the Rainbow Bridge April 14.

“I laid him down to sleep, over the ocean on a hilltop, among some special friends at sunset,” Feldman told Dr. Marty Becker. “He was so content, but ready to go.”

Now, Feldman has paid forward Moran and Wadman’s spirit of giving by donating Ike’s Trike to another dog in need.

T.C. was recently paralyzed due to a herniated disc. As of yesterday, he’s enjoying rides in the custom wagon with his dog dad, Bill.

“I didn’t realize how good it would feel today to pass it on and see that it’s going to help both Bill and T.C. in recovery and in his healing,” Feldman told KABC.

According to a fundraiser she started and then paused on GoFundMe.com, Feldman is working on a plan to mass produce Ike’s Trikes. “There may be a broader plan, cause and corporate partner involved (which would be amazing),” she wrote.

Photos via gofundme.com, Facebook

Dog ‘Abandoned’ at Gas Station Has a Pawesome New Dad

When a photo of her went viral in March, people around the world were outraged that Butterbean, a 6-year-old German Shepherd mix believed to have been dumped at a Louisiana gas station, was actually intentionally left there by her owners. They enjoyed it when she chased after them in their pickup truck.

“They’ve done this multiple times and apparently think it’s no big deal, and they don’t seem to care about the welfare of the dog,” Jeff Dorson, director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, told ABC News March 17.

When the Humane Society of Louisiana first contacted Butterbean’s owners about giving their dog up for adoption so she could live in a safer, more compassionate home, the owners refused.

“They stated their intention is to now keep her tethered in their backyard, which of course is not an acceptable way to maintain a family dog in our view, apart from the history of extremely irresponsible pet ‘ownership,’” the Humane Society wrote on its Facebook page in March.

Butterbean’s case was escalated to St. Tammany Animal Services, which had the authority to directly intervene. When they told Lisa Pearson, one of Butterbean’s owners, she had to either take the dog to a shelter or vet, Pearson said she would give them the dog — for $400. The cash was donated from the Humane Society.

“We certainly don’t like to reward this kind of behavior, but sometimes it simply takes too long for cases to move through the legal system,” Dorson said in a news release. “Our first concern was Butterbean’s safety. We were convinced she could be let loose again to run in traffic at any time, and we might miss our opportunity to intervene.”

Pearson was later cited for violating several state laws, and she signed an agreement not to chain or tether any animal, and not to allow any animal to roam at large.

After being treated for heartworm, Butterbean was available for adoption. Dorson told ABC News today the humane society received dozens of adoption applications.

One in particular stood out.

According to Dorson, “no one expressed more enthusiasm to be Butterbean’s new caretaker” than Guy Lawrence-Edenheimer, a retired musician from Antioch, Ill., who now calls himself her “proud papa.”

Ready for some chills? Lawrence-Edenheimer’s previous dog, Rocky, died on March 17, 2014. Exactly one year later, Lawrence-Edenheimer saw the story about Butterbean on ABC News. He was amazed by how much Butterbean looked like Rocky.

“The timing was just too perfect,” he told ABC News today. “It was like it was meant to be.”

Lawrence-Edenheimer said he and Butterbean instantly bonded, and now the two are almost inseparable.

“She’s an absolute sweetheart,” he said. “After the first night I got her, she jumped onto the bed, licked my face and bounced my elbows up with her nose.”

Butterbean comes along with her loving new dog dad on car trips…and stays in the car.

“Butterbean no longer feels compelled to chase after her new owner, since she shares rides together with him,” Dorson told ABC News.

‘Butterbean Buddies’ Campaign Helps Other Abandoned Dogs

To help other dogs in the state who are abandoned, chained or tethered, the Humane Society of Louisiana launched the campaign “Butterbean Buddies” in March.

“We’d love to save 500 dogs or more through our Butterbean Buddies during the next year,” Dorson said on the Humane Society of Louisiana website.

It costs the humane society about $500 to rescue, provide veterinary care for, and spay or neuter a homeless dog. Housing, food and transporting the dog for adoption can cost an additional $500.

“If only a handful of people concerned about Butterbean pitched in to help, we could save thousands of dogs here in Louisiana,” Dorson said.

To make a donation to Butterbean Buddies, click here or send a check to Humane Society of Louisiana, PO Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174.

Photos via Twitter; Facebook

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