Two children, two dogs

Today’s two stories, 4000 miles apart, both feature a very special six-year-old child facing adversity; however, in each case, a dog was the inspiration or the catalyst.

Raelynn and Blue

Fort Smith, Arkansas, was the venue of a chance happening between a small child and a Labrador dog. For the dog, it was probably just another normal day. Being a friendly, happy canine, meeting strangers didn’t cause him any problems; in fact, she was delighted to give companionship to anyone who needed her.

For that bereft small child, it meant more than any words of mine can convey.

6-year-old Raelynn was a daddy’s girl; she hero-worshipped her father to the extent that she took every opportunity to introduce people to him, even total strangers. He must have been some dad to have created such devotion from his daughter.

Sadly, this man would never see his devoted daughter grow up. He had been diagnosed with colon cancer, and at the horribly young age of 41, he died. His daughter was devastated, no child should have to see her father pass away at such a young age.

His widow, Lacy, was left to arrange his funeral, and on the day in question, one Emily Beineman was jogging past the funeral home with her dog, Blue.

A chance encounter

The call of a child’s voice caught her attention, and a simple request followed.

“Can I pet your puppy?”

“Of course, as long as your parents don’t mind,” Emily replied. At this stage, she had no idea that this small child had just lost one of her parents.

The requested cuddle took place, but Raelynn was to throw everyone a massive curve. She informed Emily that her dad was lying inside the funeral home, and this very proud daughter then invited Emily to enter the building with the request to “meet her dad.” Now we need to remember that Emily Beineman was out jogging with her dog and was not remotely appropriately attired to be entering a building designed for such solemn occasions. Fortunately, Emily is a perceptive person and realised that this may be the last time that Raelynn would ever be able to “introduce” anyone to her father, so despite being totally inappropriately dressed, she entered the funeral home. With Blue being held at the rear of the room, hand in hand, she walked with Raelynn down the aisle, ignoring the stares that her appearance would inevitably bring, as the assembled company must have thought the obvious.

Who on earth is this individual, looking like she has arrived off the street wearing attire more suitable for jogging! In fairness, with everyone else wearing clothing that benefited the occasion, I guess we would all have the same impression.

Immediately, the child and the stranger bonded, have reunited since and have agreed to keep in touch. Whilst the devastation of losing her beloved father will take a very long time, Raelynn has the companionship of both Emily and Blue

When Raelynn was asked why she bonded so quickly with Emily, her reply was so simple.

“She helped me feel better by her kindness.”

Buddy and Brodie

Brodie the Dalmatian was one of the millions of pets that families have as beloved companions. They are just there; we don’t even think about it. They are there for all the important occasions, engagements, weddings, moving house, they go for walks with us, comfort us through the bad times and celebrate the good and are there for the birth of children. Families look upon them not as pets but as part of the family and hope that they will be there to assist as the children grow up. Sadly, Brodie the Dalmatian was not destined to grow old; he succumbed to bone cancer. However, this much-loved family dog was to be the inspiration for what follows

Six-year-old Buddy had already raised money to purchase his very own two goats, Bella and Bertie. I must admit, I have never heard of a six-year-old even wanting goats, let alone raising money to acquire them. He did this by selling eggs from his chickens; yes, he has not only goats but also chickens

So it won’t be any surprise to you that this very young entrepreneur decided to raise funds to purchase beds and toys for shelter dogs. This unusual enterprise was to be a tribute to his recently departed companion, Brodie.

The goat feeding project

Now, fundraising is no easy task, particularly as the family lived in a very rural location in the county of Gloucestershire in the UK. However, Buddy was not to be deterred, and his idea was certainly a novel one and would need careful preparation, for which he would need some assistance from Dad Callum

He spent weeks creating the appropriate backdrop for his idea. It would have been so easy not to go the extra mile and do without the colourful attraction, but that was not Buddy’s style. This is a youngster who doesn’t do things by halves. He saved up to buy the wood and paint, and he then created a colourful stand with a practical purpose. The idea was to feed the goats with them, pushing their heads through the holes, and with the clever design, it turned out to be quite an attraction. The financial angle was that Buddy sold the goat food to the visitors who fed the goats.

The idea didn’t get off to the best of starts, with very few passersby stopping, but eventually the project really took off, particularly as mum Abbie posted it on Facebook. This encouraged people to go out of their way to pass Buddy and take part in his fundraising adventure.

As a side story to this lad’s endeavours, it can be revealed that prior to this, Buddy had been diagnosed as a special needs child with the consequence that he was selectively mute. The goat feeding project brought him into contact with numerous strangers with whom he happily discussed the venture and answered questions about his goats, Bella and Bertie.

With the project gaining momentum, Mum Abbie started a GoFundMe page, and in 48 hours, the amount collected was £10,800 ($15000).

Brodie would be proud.