Rescue dog sleeps face-to-face with his mom every night

Also: Villagers do the sweetest thing for frozen birds No Images? [Click here]( April 2, 2018 Good morning! Today we have a rescue dog with the sweetest habit, a man who opened his home to wild storks and a puppy who got very, very stuck. 1. Rescue Dog Insists On Sleeping Face-To-Face With Mom Every Night Photo Credit: Jami Croslow Most dogs like having their own place to sleep at night, curling up at the foot of the bed or in a crate — but not George. The intuitive pup can always tell when his mom is having a hard day and needs him close, so he insists on a special sleeping arrangement that keeps him by her side. Almost three years ago, Jami Croslow badly needed a friend. The younger of her two dogs had suddenly passed away, and her older dog, Jack, was already in his mid-teens. “It really broke my heart and took me by surprise because I always thought my older dog, Jack, would be the first to go,” Croslow told The Dodo. Growing up volunteering at animal shelters and caring for her family’s cocker spaniel, Croslow had spent her life surrounded by dogs. So she began her search for another furry friend. Scrolling through Petfinder, one small dog with brown spots and comically large ears caught her eye. “He looked like a corgi-type mix, which I really like,” Croslow explained, “because all the dogs I’ve had in the past have either been corgis or corgi mixes.” The shelter said George had been abandoned along with 20 other animals in a trailer park after his owner was evicted. He had nearly outstayed his welcome at the overcrowded Georgia shelter where he was being housed, only surviving by worming his way into the heart of an animal control officer who couldn’t bear to put him down. Croslow agreed to adopt him, sight unseen, and arranged to pick up up halfway between the Georgia shelter and her North Carolina apartment. When Croslow met George for the first time, she could hardly hide her surprise. “I met the woman who had George and she opened up her van and he looked nothing like a Welsh corgi,” Croslow said. “I felt like I had been catfished, catfished by a dog.” But her disappointment didn’t last long. “I’m looking at this goofy dog and I’m thinking, ‘Well, I love you, so I guess we’re going home,’” she added. Photo Credit: Jami Croslow Croslow had a crate prepared for her new arrival, but it proved unnecessary. “That night George insisted he sleep with me in bed,” she said, “and he has every night.” Since that very first night, George hasn’t let his mom out of his sight. “George is by far the most snuggliest creature (including humans!) I have ever encountered,” Croslow said. “His absolute favorite sleeping position is a face-to-face spoon. He just really likes it if we’re nose-to-nose, which I can’t do, because I need to breathe, so he usually will sleep with his nose nuzzled in my neck.” He’s now best friends with Jack, and the two pups have been there for their mom when she needed them most. “George has a zest for life, and is just so excited to take on the day, which I think is very inspiring for me,” Croslow said. “As people, we wake up and think, ‘What do we have to do today?’ and it’s stress and worry — but with him, he lives in the moment and finds the good in every moment.” A year after adopting George, Croslow faced one of the toughest periods of her life, suffering a miscarriage and the loss of her job in the span of a month, the strain of which taxed her relationship with her partner. But instead of letting their mom slip into depression, George and Jack knew it was time to return the favor to the woman who rescued them. “There were some moments where I just didn’t want to be on this Earth anymore. I had lost all hope, and these dogs would not leave my side,” Croslow said. “They gave me a reason to live during a really tough time.” Though her relationship ended, Croslow is again so grateful to have her loyal dogs by her side. She knows that no matter what, every night George will hop into bed and snuggle in close (perhaps even too close), and she wouldn’t change him for the world. 2. Villagers Do The Kindest Thing For Birds Frozen In Winter Weather Photo Credit: Twitter/Aishe Jamal It’s a compassionate gesture to open up your home to strangers — and that’s exactly what a group of Bulgarians did for some wild storks who desperately needed their help. It’s been particularly cold in Bulgaria recently, and wild storks have been suffering — the icy temperatures have frozen their wings, making it impossible for them to fly or seek shelter. One man, 53-year-old maintenance worker Safet Halil, decided to help. "I found five frozen storks near the village road the day before yesterday," Halil, a resident of Zaritsa, Bulgaria, said in a news report. "I took them home, lit a stove to warm them and fed them fish." News of Halil’s compassion quickly spread on social media, and other people in Bulgaria starting bringing storks into their homes as well. In one online video, a man gently combs ice from a stork’s wings while the stork sits on a blanket in front of a heated stove. Other storks are on the blanket, too, and more are nestled on a nearby couch. The man’s own family, including a toddler, shares the room with the wild storks. According to reports, people have sheltered more than 40 birds in their homes, garages and barns. One photograph even shows storks taking up residence in a bedroom. Photo Credit: Facebook/Шумен Днес These small acts of kindness likely saved the storks’ lives. Hristina Klisurova, a spokesperson from the Green Balkans Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Center, explained that it’s been a particularly tough time for storks, who are used to spring weather in Bulgaria at this time of year. "It's the first time that we have seen so many storks in distress in Bulgaria," Klisurova told AFP. However, she made a public appeal on Bulgarian television for people to only take in “those who are in a state of distress, injured or with frozen wings,” and to release any rescued birds back into the wild as soon as possible. The team at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Center has been doing its own rescue work by venturing out in the snow to treat injured storks and provide food. Wildlife workers feeding wild storks during the cold snap Halil explained that he’d keep his storks for about five days. "It is minus 3 degrees Celsius [27 Fahrenheit] today and the weather is getting worse," he said. But he reported that the birds are doing well — and he doesn’t seem to mind any temporary inconveniences. "I already received two or three beak pinches on the arms," he said with a smile. 3. Tiny Puppy Goes Exploring And Takes A Very Wrong Turn Near The TV Photo Credit: RSPCA When a woman woke up one morning and didn’t immediately see her 8-week-old puppy, Ringo Starr, staring up at her, she was only a tad concerned — until she heard his tiny puppy cries coming from downstairs. She quickly ran to check on him — and found the poor puppy with his head stuck through a hole in the TV stand. It seems that during the night, little Ringo had gotten bored and decided to go exploring around the house. During his explorations, he decided to investigate the TV cabinet, discovered a hole in the back of it, pushed his head through and ended up very, very stuck. Ringo’s mom tried as hard as she could to free him, but the little explorer was just too stuck. Frantically, she decided to contact the RSPCA, hoping that they would be able to help free her beloved Ringo. RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes got the call about Ringo Starr, and immediately rushed out to help him — and couldn’t hide his amusement over the sweet puppy’s name. “‘A Day In The Life’ of an RSPCA inspector can be very varied, and I’ve certainly freed quite a few animals from tight squeezes like this before,” Joynes said in a press release. “Ringo Starr was found in the morning but it’s possible he could have become stuck for some time before, it could well have been ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ for him, until he started crying for help.” All jokes aside, Joynes quickly set about trying to free Ringo, but his head was just too tightly wedged into the hole, and Joynes didn’t want to hurt the little guy by pulling too hard. He decided the only way to get Ringo out would be to grab some oil, and get him nice and slippery. Photo Credit: RSCPA “Poor Ringo Starr was very uncomfortable and panicked, but the hole was fairly tight and I wasn’t able to free him at first, so with his owner’s permission we quickly grabbed some vegetable oil from the kitchen to gently rub around his neck to help loosen him, and with some very careful maneuvering, Ringo’s head slid out of the cabinet and he was free,” Joynes said. Ringo was so happy to finally be free, and licked his rescuer’s face in gratitude. Joynes was worried that Ringo was a little sore or injured from his ordeal, and so he decided to take him to a local vet for a quick checkup — and, of course, a much-needed bath. Once the vet confirmed that little Ringo was fine, Joynes brought him back home to his mom, who was so grateful that her best friend was OK, and finally free from the pesky hole. “After getting the all-clear from the vet he came back home to us that afternoon and after a big lunch, he fell fast asleep,” Verity O’Neill, Ringo’s mom, said in a press release. “I never thought he’d go poking his head in the hole in the TV cabinet, it was such a surprise, but of course we’ve now made sure the hole is blocked up.” Feisty Little Armadillo Is So Lucky This Woman Saved His Life [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( The Dodo 100 Crosby St., 201 New York, NY 10012 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](