"Monique Clement said she wasn’t going to cry while viewing a video of her children interacting with a dog trained to help autistic children, but she couldn’t hold back the tears..."
Founded in 2000, the non-profit North Star Foundation has placed over 50 dogs with families dealing with cancer and autism. Max, right, a golden retriever, will help a young boy to deal with his severe separation anxiety and autism. (The State newspaper in South Carolina featured the story of Max, but expired the link -- the on site search engine isn't any help.)
Check out this link to a story about a German Shepherd-timberwolf pet that saved an elderly couple in New York from freezing by digging a 20-foot tunnel to shelter after a sudden snow storm trapped them outside — photos included. (WNBC.com)
For homeless people, posing for family portraits can seem like a luxury. But students from a Santa Clara University photography class traveled to shelters and volunteered to shoot portraits, delivering the power of images that tug on the heart. "The students give prints to the residents, who plan to send them off to relatives or tuck them away until they can hang the portraits on walls of their own." (Christian Science Monitor)
North Dakota townspeople gathered around a frozen pond where Brutus, a seven-year-old Keeshound/ Samoyed dog struggled to pull himself from the numbing cold waters onto the ice. They cheered as two men grabbed a boat across the road and made their way toward the exhausted Brutus... Read the heart-warming story about a town that came together, donating all their winter coats, to help save a neighbor's pet. (Minot Daily News)