Mother's Day Talent, For A Sweet Moment

So you can forget the pandemic for a moment, here's a mom who was also a 96-year old contestant recently on "Britain's Got Talent."  Fitting for Mother's Day, right?

Enjoy the sweet vid:

Dog Pretends To Love New Bed Even Though It Clearly Doesn't Work

Just to be nice, Kenny the golden retreiver pretends that
a much too small dog bed purchsed for him works just fine. 

As is customary here in this blog thingy, I get a little overwhelmed by the news and awfulness of the world. I'm sure you've noticed.

When that happens, I retreat to fun little dog stories, or something like that.

This is one of those times.

I've decided I really like Kenny, a 10-year-old golden retriever from Elkhart, Indiana.

His human mom, Heather Stoddard, knew Kenny needed a new doggie bed, so she ordered one on line.

Stoddard forgot to note that the doggie beds she was looking at came in various sizes. The one that arrived was teeny tiny, made for pups much smaller than big Kenny.

Dogs tend to seem appreciative of gifts and want to please their human companions so he pretended the tiny dog bed was just perfect for him.

The result was a bunch of viral photos of Kenny earnestly pretending the tiny bed worked wonderfully for him.

"It was honestly funny seeing how small and thin it was. It almost looked like a pillow," said Paten Mathes, 15, Stoddard's son and Kenny's other human companion.

Kenny the golden retriever realizes the too small dog bed
is too small for him, but at least it makes a nice pillow

By the way, Stoddard realized her mistake as soon as the dog bed arrived and she went back on line to buy a dog bed that works much better for Kenny.

By the way, I get it dogs might latch onto objects that they like not entirely because they're trying to please someone, but because they like the object and it gives the comfort.

For instance, my dogs Jackson and Tonks are weird. When I sit down to watch TV, Tonks will sometime rest her head of my feet so she has the comforting if stinky scent of my shoes.

Both Jackson and Tonks want me to put down pants that need laundering on the floor so they can sleep on them, again because it's probably comforting.  

Still, I like to think part of the motivation of all this stuff that Kenny, Tonks and Jackson do are because they feel an attachment to their human companions and want to please them.

I'll go with that.

The photos of Kenny got so widespread that some pet companies sent the family some dog beds that might be a better fit for Kenny.

Kenny is testing them out and will decide which one he likes best. Any other dog beds that Kenny isn't as enthusiastic about will be donated to animal shelters, says the Huffington Post. 

See, Kenny is quite the kind dog. I have one thing to say to him. It's an approving "Woof!!!"

Melt Your Heart As Girl Sings Sweetly To A Dog

A still from a very sweet video in this post

As you might have noticed, I occasionally post things that are just insanely nice as an antidote to the nastiness of the world, some of which I document in this here blog thingy.

Today's installment was so sweet I almost went into a diabetic coma, but the video at the bottom of this post is just so beautiful I had to share. It's just a little girl singing "You Are My Sunshine" to a dog.

The video was actually taken months ago, so it's not exactly breaking news. But it was recently featured in The Dodo, I found if there, and went with it.

Looking into the video further, it turns out that the dog in the video doesn't belong to the little girl, but that situation makes the whole thing better.

Turns out the girl's family belongs to a group called PACT For Animals that takes in dogs for foster care while their owners are away on military deployments or in the hospital.

Here's the video.

Very Young "Veterinarian" Helps Beagle With Injured Foot

Little Laura, in her white veterinarian's coat, treats
a cut on her companion Charlie the Beagle's paw.
Charlie has since made a full recovery. 

I often resist cloyingly cute videos involving kids and animals, but I somehow couldn't pass this one up.  

It's just too adorable, and I keep wanting to see nice things in a world that sometimes feels so evil.

The backstory is that a little girl named Laura and her companion, a beagle named Charlie, have had some viral video fame as we've seen what besties they are ever since Laura was born.

Previous videos show Laura as a baby, but now she's a grown up toddler.

Recently, Charlie cut his paw on a thick blade of frozen grass. So, Laura did what she had to do. She put on her white veterinarian coat and went to work.

As you'll see in the video below, I have to give Charlie huge credit for what a patient "patient" he is as Laura treats the injured paw.

I have to give a lot of credit to Laura, too. She may be too young to know how best to treat a minor dog injury, but who cares? The love she has for Charlie is crystal clear in the video, as is the fact that Charlie knows this.

Side note in the video you'll watch below. The people involved are talking in Polish, which makes my heart melt more because I'm of Polish descent.

Every little moment in the video is incredibly sweet, including the hugs, and the blanket Laura puts over Charlie.  By the way, spoiler alert: Laura's treatment worked. Charlie is all better now.

At the end of the video, Laura is done, and Charlie settles comfortably down for a nap, knowing he is well cared for and in good hands.

We should all be so lucky.

Here's the video to make you go "awwwwwwww"

Video Proves Dogs Rescued 2016 And Will Rescue 2017.

A dog happily blows bubbles in its water dish
as part of a compilation video showing some of
the best dog moments of 2016

I love the compilation video of the Dogs of 2016 at the bottom of this post, and you will, too.

I'm biased because I love dogs, but even people who are not particularly into dogs will get some smiles and maybe even be a touch moved by the video.

The clips prove that dogs can be a great stress reliever, even in difficult years like 2016.

The video ends with a message that we should all take to heart: "No matter how challenging 2017 gets, remember the dogs will always be good."

Maybe we should all learn from the dogs.

Watch:

Woman Gets Cochlear Implant. REALLY Likes What She Hears From Her Boyfriend

Andrea Diaz just got a cochlear implant and she can hear
again. Her boyfriend, Kevin, takes advantage of
the situation and asks Andrea an important question.  

Ok, every once in awhile I like those Kleenex Alert videos and there's a great one at the bottom of the post.  

Several years ago, the woman in the video, Andrea Diaz  lost her hearing in an accident.

She finally got a cochlear implant, and she, her doctor, her boyfriend and her mother are in the doctor's office at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

The doctor turns it on to see if it works.

It does!   Diaz hears. She cries tears of joy. Predictably, and nicely, her mother says she loves her.

She cries some more.

Then her boyfriend, Kevin Peakman, pipes in. He's got a question for her.

Spoiler alert: Diaz's answer to her boyfriend's question is "Yes."

Here's the sweet video to make you cry:

The Grinch's Heart Expands: I Actually LOVE This Too-Early Christmas Ad

Sam about to give his best friend, Monty the Penguin
his Christmas surprise in this perfect John Lewis holiday ad.  

People who know me know this rite of the Christmas Holiday Season, which started I think back on January 10:

I hate, HATE all the demands that we buy, buy, BUY our way to Christmas happiness.

If we don't brawl tooth and nail over some worthless electronic gadget at Walmart at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, then we're worthless human beings, goes the retail line.

That said, I stumbled upon an early Christmas ad for John Lewis, a British retailer.   Watch it at the bottom of this post.

In the ad we follow a boy named Sam and his best friend, Monty the Penguin.

I have to tell you right now I have a childlike fixation on penguins and actually wish I had one, so the fact the ad has a penguin got my interest.

The story in the advertisement, and how it's put together is so sweet. Sam and Monty, as I said, are best friends, but as the holidays approach, Monty is clearly longing for something. Sam notices and does something about it as a Christmas gift.

And like I said, the ad makes this Grinch's heart grow warm and sweet.  It's a nice antidote to the usual screaming and yelling about Christmas sales that we usually see.

It's really a wonderful ad. It'll go down as one of the all time classic Christmas commercials. But warning:  There is a MAJOR Kleenex alert before you watch this now totally viral video

Lots of people are getting weepy watching it.

Here it is:

These Military Guy/Dog Reunions Get Me Every Time. Here's A New Best One

I love watching those military guy/dog reunion videos that are all over YouTube.  

 

Cila and Army veteran Jason Bos reunite at
Chicago's O'Hare airport last week.  

Now, there's a very nice new one that is among the best.

Retired Army Sgt. Jason Bos' most trusted partner when he was deployed to Iraq was Cila, the bomb sniffing dog.

Bos retired two years ago because of a back injury and figured, very sadly, he'd never see Cila, his best buddy, ever again.

It's obvious the two missed each other over those past two years.

Recently, however, it was Cila's turn to retire. Her handler posted that news on Facebook, and Bos saw that he could adopt Cila.

Well, that seemed like an easy enough decision.

Last week, Bos and Cila had their reunion at Chicago's O'Hare airport. It's unclear from the video who was happier about the reunion, Bos or Cila, so I'll let you judge when you see the beautiful video, below.

Note also that within a minute, Bos and Cila fell into their old habits, which seem to include lots of belly rubs for Cila.

Bos said the two will retire to their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where yes, Cila will be allowed ot hang out on the couch.

Watch the video but especially for dog lovers, I do have to issue a major Kleenex alert:

Kleenex Alert! Wonderful, Touching Video By People With Down Syndrome To Soon-To-Be Mom

World Down Syndrome Day is tomorrow, March 21, and the people at Down Syndrome International put out this very sweet video that is one of the better advocacy PSA's I've seen.

A still from the World Down Syndrome Day video.  

In the video, the organizers say they got an email from  young woman who is pregnant and learned her baby has Down Syndrome.

The woman wrote: "I'm scared. What kind of life will my child have?"

Then the video goes on to have people with Down Syndrome from all over the world answer the young mother's question. Spoiler alert:  The answers are very reassuring.

I don't like to generalize about any particular group, but the people I've met in my life who have Down Syndrome tend to be the most interesting and fun individuals I've come across.  So the PSA definitely seems to meet Truth In Advertising standards.

Here's the video:  (Like I said, Kleenex alert!)

Almost 50 Below And Canadian Couple Spend Pleasant Morning Outdoors

If you've watched the news the past couple of days, you know much of the country is having quite a little cold snap at the moment.

Enjoying a pleasant, 49 degrees below zero
morning in Manitoba, Canada.  

It's worse in Canada, of course. It's always worse in Canada, given that's the country that exports all those nasty cold fronts to the United States.

Up in Manitoba, it was 45 below Celcius (49 below for us Fahrenheit fans. Since I get whiny when it gets to zero, I can't relate to that.

But, as Canadians do, the couple in the video below embrace the bitter cold. They go out, blow soap bubbles to see what happens, throw hot water in the air to make a steam display and have a grand old time.

Notice how they're dressed, or not dressed. The woman has no hat on. The man has no overcoat. Their glasses aren't even fogging up, for Chrissakes. And they seem like they are in no hurry to get back inside.

If I lived in their town, I would hibernate until May.

It must be their wonderful Canadian accents that keep them warm

So watch this delightful video that shows the coldest way to warm your heart.

 

A Dog Adoption Proves Perfect And Perfectly Timed, As They Always Do

Political blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan usually spends his days entertainingly sparring over disputes involving public affairs, society and the sausage factory that is Washington, DC.

Andrew Sullivan and his new bestie Bowie
get to know each other last weekend.  

He makes no secret, though, that he has a serious soft spot for dogs, particularly beagles. His heartbreak was palpable after one of his beagles, named Dusty, died last summer.

Today, in his blog, however, he tells us how fate took over once again, as it usually does when dogs and people unite to become a team.

Sullivan said he was invited to upstate New York, where a three legged, 18-month old beagle named Bowie was looking for a home. Was Sullivan interested?

After a slightly rocky first meeting involving intestinal upset and an unfortunate pee time accident, Sullivan was smitten.

He writes:

"I have to say this weekend was a bit of a love affair. There is so much about her that reminds me of Dusty as a puppy--the pathological wolfing of the food, the constant interest in every smell, scent and sight, the sheer constant energy. But unlike Dusty, she's extremely affectionate. And even obedient.

By the end of the weekend, she perfected "sit" and "stay" and (almost) "down"--and there were no more accidents. We didn't use her crate after the first night. If I didn't see her, all I had to do was say "Bowie" and she would come scampering around the corner to shower me with love.

Just when you least expect it...just what you least expect. I think the grieving is done now."

It's interesting how Bowie came into Sullivan's life, apparently at the precise moment he was ready for this kind of thing to happen. Not sooner, not later, but at the right time. 

I think dogs just know how to do that.  The right dog comes into our lives just when we most need them. Even if we don't realize we need them.

Jackson The Cocker Spaniel (front) and
the late Bailey the Wonder Dog keep
watch over me and Jeff last fall.  

The past three years have been chaotic, but fun for me. Jackson the Cocker Spaniel has been there through that, cheering me up in my dark moments, enthusiastically sharing in my excitement at the good times, and calming me down during my too-often excitable, frustrated moments.  

It's as if he knows just what to do.

And I had Bailey the Wonder Dog in my life for a year before he died last May. His passing felt too soon, too painful, as we only knew each other for a year. 

But Bailey The Wonder Dog taught me to embrace the ones we love, because we never know when they will go.

Because of what Bailey taught me, or at least reinforced for me, I wake up each morning and see my husband, alive and well and loving right next to me. Which means I get another day with him. Another day to cherish.  May there be zillions more.

Some people say that dogs are wonderful teachers for humans. 

Some people are spot on. 

Best Song About Lost Love Ever

I'm still in the afterglow of my first wedding anniversary, so maybe I'm being too sentimental about things like marriage.

96-year-old songwriter and devoted
husband Fred Stobaugh. 

But I love this story. Fred Stobaugh's wife recently died after the two had been married for 75 years (!!!!)

He misses her terribly, and one day, lonely, he sat down and wrote the lyrics of a love song to her. It's called "Oh Sweet Lorraine." Trust me, it's a beautiful song.

Here's some of the lyrics:

"Oh sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
All the good times all over
Again

My memories will always
Linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine."

"It just fit her," Stobaugh said of the song he wrote.

Meanwhile, basically in another world, a music studio out of Illinois, Green Shoe Studio, was holding a contest to find some undiscovered great musicians.

Stoubaugh came across an ad for Green Shoe Studio's contest, so he sent his lyrics in.  He didn't think it would amount to much. By his own admission, Stobaugh isn't much of a singer. Plus Green Shoe was looking for submissions via email. And videos from YouTube. Stobaugh wasn't exactly into either.

Indeed, what Stobaugh sent wasn't exactly what Green Shoe was looking for to include in the contest, but the people there were blown away by Stobaugh's love, and lyrics and music.

They had to make the world hear this song.

So they brought him in, hired some professional musicians, a good lead singer and did all the bells and whistles to cut a record of Stobaugh's beautiful song. 

Stobaugh said the song brings him some degree of comfort. According to Green Shoe Studio's web site, he said:

"The song really helps me. It really helps me. It just seemed like she's just sort of with me. Which I know she's smiling, she's smiling down and she likes that song, I know."

"Oh Sweet Lorraine" is now available on iTunes, so go ahead and buy.

Stobaugh was there to hear what Green Shoe Studio came up with for "Sweet Lorraine." Here's the video, but a warning: There is a MAJOR Kleenex alert here. You'll need them.