It’s quite the story. It’s the stuff you see in movies and cartoons – a baby in a basket, left on a doorstep by a mother who cannot take care of him. A note penned to the basket hoping that a benevolent stranger will take the orphan in and give him a better life. Take that familiar tale… and replace it with a dog. Rather than let his beloved pet go to the pound, a child essentially left his dog on the doorstep of a neighbor. Engage tear ducts…
The dog is named Mr. B. He was waiting in the driveway of a man in Washington state with a scribbled note stashed in a bone-shaped compartment attached to his collar. The note stated that the child’s parents were getting divorced. It indicated that Mr. B was to go to the pound, but that the child thought the dog would have a better life with this man. (Side note: Isn’t divorce hard enough on this poor kid without getting rid of the dog too? Obviously there’s no way to know the full story or if the parents were really going to take Mr. B to the pound, but still…) To help take care of the dog, who was described as being “used to kids – not other dogs,” the child included his birthday money. Among the many heartbreaking lines in the note (found here), the final few are truly heartbreaking: “He’s a good boy. I know God will take care of Mr. B. – Everyone loves him… especially me. Thank you.”
Wisdom from the mouth of babes. Although leaving your dog on a neighbor’s doorstep may not be the best plan, you can’t deny the powerful emotion behind the action. Ending up in a pound is a death sentence for many dogs… and even if it’s not, finding a new home isn’t easy. Had Mr. B been dropped off at the pound, he’d likely be scared, confused, and utterly heartbroken. Fine way to treat a creature you’ve brought into your home as a family member. My heart breaks for this child. If only everyone felt this way about the furry beings they’ve taken into their homes. It’s a responsibility that far too few take seriously.
On a happy note, the neighbor took Mr. B to work and the pup has already found a new home.
For more, watch the story here.
I'm so glad there was a happy ending!
Okay, you just made me cry… is that a true story? Really? The neighbour gets a gold star for good sportsmanship, and I hope the adopter lets the little boy know how the dog is doing!
It appears to be a true story – the final link is to a local news piece. The dog didn't have tags or a microchip, so I hope that the kid sees the story!
Gee! That is so heart breaking.
Licks,
Ruthie
As the newscaster says, that's quite a mystery. It seems the man doesn't know the neighbors — and had never seen the dog before — so maybe the kid picked a house that looked really nice?
Who even knows if the divorce story is true? It could have been something else (like poverty)?
Anyway, whatever the circumstances, what's important is that it worked out for the dog.
I agree, Edie. Who knows what really happened or why the child gave the dog up. I'm just glad that the dog ended up in a good home. I like that the Huffington Post piece on it mentioned the issues about shelter overcrowding and directs people to Petfinder to learn about rescue. I hope this story ends up educating some people on that front.
Im telling you..kids are smarter than us adults, they just have the biggest hearts.
Thank goodness the neighbor had a big heart too! Glad to hear everything ended up ok:)
Oohhh thank goodness that had a happy ending, but I'm feeling so sad…or happy, but that was great! :))
This is heart-warming/wrenching story number 4 today. I want to go and give that boy as much money as I can (to replace his birthday money) for what he did for his dog.
Reading the very first comment really made me mad, though. 🙁
That makes me so sad, why did you have to go and make my teary-eyed at work?! 🙁 lol
What a beautiful story!!!!
Have a nice week.
Woof, woof,
Chicco
Oh my, that is sad. That little boy put his dog before himself. What a truly brave act. I just wish the dog could have stayed with the boy who loved him so. But sounds like a wonderful new home. Hope the boy heard that Mr. B got a happy home.
Oh, the waterworks are on now! What a great kid to look after the dog that way. I hope that one day he's able to share his life with another dog. I hope he feels better knowing Mr. B found a good home!
Ok, pass the tissues. What a great kid to try and save Mr.Blike that. I hope they know Mr. b is safe and well with another family who loves him.
Jen – You're so right. We could learn a lot from kids, I think.
Bessie Mac – which comment? One one of the stories I linked to?
Stacy – I was asking HuffPo why they did the same thing to me at work… so I guess I was just passing that along. =P
Peggy – I know. I wish they could have stayed together.
houndstooth – Agreed… sounds like this kid deserves to have a dog in his life.
Kolchak Puggle – I should have started this with a tissue alert!
Hands down, that was one of the saddest things that I have ever read 🙁 I couldn't imagine doing that with my childhood dog. I'm just really happy that the little doggie found a home.
Wow! That really was a tear jerker. Kudos to the boy for having the courage to do what was best for the dog.
Poor kid and poor pup.
My second family got divorced and no one wanted me so I wound up at a rescue…but now I have the best home ever, so it's okay!