Happy News

Dog Saves Neighborhood By Finding Dangerous Gas Leak in the Ground

Chanell Bell's 4-year-old husky, Kobe, sensed a catastrophic gas leak beneath the surface and warned her owner, who heeded Kobe's advice. Bell, who had just moved into the house, saw that Kobe spent hours every day digging in the same yard area. He is an enthusiastic digger when the situation calls for it, so she didn't think much of it at first, but as it grew, she became aware of it. Bell "trusted her intuition" and pulled out her gas detection gadget after discovering a gas leak in the house earlier in December and realizing the hole ran beneath the pavement. The measurement showed gas right away—a potentially catastrophic quantity of gas. When Bell reported the incident to the authorities, they told her there may have been deadly repercussions if Kobe hadn't discovered the leak on December 21. “It feels amazing to know Kobe saved our block, I am very thankful to have him,” Bell exclaimed. “I hope that this spreads awareness to others about the dangers and severity of gas leaks and to pay attention to your fur babies!”

27-Year Burger King Veteran Went to Work Every Day, Buys Home with GoFundMe Donations

A veteran of Burger King, Kevin Ford, who gained notoriety for never missing a day of work in 27 years and who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from people worldwide, recently purchased a house with those proceeds. Ford's life was irrevocably altered in June 2022 when a widely shared video revealed him accepting a gift from Burger King management in appreciation for his 27-year streak of working without skipping a shift. The present from HMSHost, the business that Burger King employs, contained pencils, two rolls of Lifesavers, a bag of Reese's candies, and a Starbucks reusable tumbler, among other things. Ford received a lot of support online after expressing his thanks in the video he first shared on Instagram, with many people believing he should have received more. A GoFundMe established in his honor by his daughter Seryna has so far generated close to $450,000. Ford claims that he purchased the house with a significant portion of the donations. “I want to thank everyone all around the world for what you’ve done for me, something I have never thought would be possible for me: homeownership,” Ford says in the video. “Now my kids and my grandkids have someplace to come visit me.”

High School Graduate Donates $40,000 Scholarship 

Verda Tetteh, a high school graduate heading to Harvard, asked that her school administration would give her $40,000 scholarship to someone who needs it more than she does. Tetteh immigrated from Ghana at age eight, with her mother working 80-weeks while attending community college. When giving her speech at graduation, Tetteh asked specifically for the money to go towards someone going to community college just like her mom did. When asked about her motivation, Tetteh told NBC Boston that "Someone else needs it more than me, and there just was no excuse why I wouldn't give it up when that was the right thing to do," 

Soldier Has Emotional Reunion With His Military Dog Retiring From Active Duty

Mike Alcala, an Air Force sergeant was reluctantly separated from his canine partner John after receiving new orders moving his location. Mike and John had served together for 3 years at Pearl Harbor, and Mike had grown attached to John. “Leaving him was rough,” Alcala said in an interview. “It was definitely hard. Think about your dog at home if you have one. Imagine just walking out the door and just leaving them to someone else.” However, the sad moment was interrupted by a promise. “I am coming back for this dog,” Alcala said while being separated from John. Two years later, Alcala’s promise was upheld. After eight hardworking years of service, John retired from the military and went to live the rest of his years in Texas with Alcala and his family. John was welcomed home by a cute reunion in the backyard of Alcala's home, just in time for the holiday season. With this reunion, John and Mike’s relationship had come full circle, beginning with the two bonding over their work together, to them being sadly separated, and finally, them reuniting once again. “It's amazing,” said Alcala, “I trust him with everything I have, and with my life, for sure. You have to, because these are our partners.”