Ricardo Pimentel never expected to be compared to Noah, or a pied-piper, or a dog-whisperer. However, his role in life may have very well been fated for what he was about to do ahead of a big storm that was coming towards his region.

Hurricane Delta was expected to hit the Mexican Yucatan with full force. The area was familiar with tropical storms, but heavy-stage hurricanes were rare. One of the last times a major hurricane hit the area, it ended up leaving major city areas buried waste deep in ocean water pushed inland. Knowing full well what another hurricane could do, Ricardo decided to do his best for the animals nobody else was going to do anything about. As a result, one man managed to save over 300 dogs, more than a handful of chickens, a hedgehog, and even rabbits. And even sheep ended up finding some shelter under his patio roof.

The wind and rain howled against Ricardo’s house, but it was going to stand and make it to another day. And for the animals he saved, they too were going to make it and live longer a well. The conditions afterwards were less than ideal. There was a tremendous amount of cleanup and removal of broken items that were needed. That said, the animals all seemed to understand what was going on and none of them attacked each other during the entire affair. They all made it through the hurricane safe, alive, and healthy.

For his neighbors and family, Ricardo’s actions were no big surprise, however. The home and surrounding area were already well-known for being an animal sanctuary, a saving place for those creatures that either were not wanted, lost, too old to be adopted or similar. The sanctuary had managed to operate for at least a decade now, located 20 miles to the south of Cancun.

Ricardo needed help, however, during the hurricane. So, with his home computer and a basic Internet connection, he asked for help. Ricardo didn’t need to say much; the photo of his room and house looked like a real-life version of a dog farm running free inside a house.

The storm passed, like they all do, but Ricardo still had 300 dogs plus the rest of the barn to take care of, feed, clean up after and relocate. Fortunately, unknown to Ricardo, his social media plea had gone into sharing mode at hyper speed. The photos and his request went viral, and everyone, thousands he never knew or will ever meet, began to help. In addition, his own neighbors chipped in and arrived to help Ricardo clean up the sanctuary as well.

In the big picture, Ricardo hopes the help can go farther and actually produce permanent homes for many of the animals he takes in, making room and allowing him to save additional new arrivals that always come in. It would be wonderful if the hurricane’s outcome and attention translated into more, but Ricardo is definitely grateful for what was provided. He saved hundreds of lives among the animals he cared for. And, Ricardo even found a way to adopt one of the dogs he saved for himself as well.

Not many people get to say they experience the kindness of Santa at Christmas, and even worse, before the holidays.

Well, the Gifter came in the form of a kind and loving couple who saw the plight of a father and his two children and felt the need to do something about it.

The couple gave the family their vacation home to enjoy for several days. What could have prompted that act of kindness?

Ever since the pandemic, Sam Smith has been cooped up on the 15th floor of their apartment building on the Eastside of London. He was not alone. His children Zenduel and Lysander, ages three and six respectively, have been stuck in the apartment with him all these months.

Additionally, the apartment is very cramped; therefore, three people moving around almost every day can be discouraging. Not being able to go to the parks or playgrounds in the apartment’s vicinity due to closure heightened the children’s frustration. Going outdoors for a maximum of an hour some days was now a luxury to this family.

The children passed the time many days by drawing images on the walls of the apartment. It had officially become a graffiti space.

Being in a one-bedroom apartment with two children as a single parent is no easy feat, especially noting the various studies that reveal the general problems that already come through single-parenting.

The family’s situation was brought to the BBC’s attention, thorough investigations, and research about the pandemic’s effects on families. BBC producers then invited Sam and his two children as guests on the breakfast show.

As Sam explained his living situation on the breakfast program, Ken and Sheila Sims happened to be watching, and the family’s story drew their compassion.

They were quarantined at their home, located on the Devon Coast, watching the program as they usually did.

The husband, Ken, could empathize because he too spent a large part of his youth in a high-rise apartment building. He became disheartened about the family’s plight and decided to speak with his wife about an idea he had that would bring some semblance of relief to the family.

Ken knew that the best thing he could do for them was to get them out of the apartment for a while. He, therefore, offered his cottage to the Smith family to enjoy a sun-kissed beach vacation.

Excitedly, Sam and his children were receptive to the idea and began packing. It was a vacation like no other as the children played in the sand and splashed in the water each day.

The children now drew in the sand instead of on the walls, and they even tried to catch fish in a little stream. They had a whale of a time.

Sam was initially speechless. He just let the boys capitalize on the space around them and have all the fun in the world.

Ken and Sheila also beamed with pride, knowing they could do something that Ken would have appreciated when he was a child.

Sam says he will be forever grateful.

A dog is back into the warmth of it’s home and the loving arms of its owners after spending three days lost in a blizzard, which many feared had killed him.

Despite the worries, efforts to find the Golden Retriever never ceased, and the outpouring of social media support showed that humankind is still helpful and sympathetic.

A cross-country skier returned the year and a half old Golden Retriever after finding him with only minor injuries despite three days in a snowstorm.

It all began in Saskatoon last Sunday when the dog’s owner Julia Neufeldt agreed to let Louie hit the Furdale Dog Park to have some outdoor fun. A close friend had asked to walk the dog they decided to let him go.

However, the fun dog walk led to terror as Louie had wandered off, and they could not find him anywhere. Julia, who was devastated by the news, had become consumed with thoughts of all the possibilities, especially with the vast expanse that they had to search for the Retriever. She added that it felt as though a family member had gone missing, and it was overwhelming.

As desperation kicked in, Julia took to Facebook to share her pain with friends and family, but what happened next blew her mind. It’s like the whole town heard about what happened, and the show of support kept rolling in, and so many searched for the missing pet dog.

Bolster From Social media

Julia said she expected a few dozen friends to share the information if anyone came across the dog. However, the post went viral, and not only friends but total strangers were sharing it and reaching out to the family to lend their support. Julia has a seven-month-old son so venturing out into the snowstorm to search for the dog was not possible.

However, scores of volunteers kept up the search and kept her updated by sending images whenever they spotted the dog. It was hurtful that Louie could be seen but was not accessible. They then lost sight of him, but on Wednesday, everyone decided to make a last-ditch effort to find the dog and get him home.

Julia had joined the search at this point, armed with a blanket and a glimmer of hope that finding Louie was still a possibility. Then the best phone call they could receive came in from the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency. They told her someone had seen Louie.

The cross-country skier was brought to Louie by his dog Banjo, amid their trip. The Animal Control team then linked the skier to Julia, who was delighted and thankful.

She had a mixture of emotions from shock to relief at getting back the dog safely. According to Julia, Louie has lost a few pounds but is poised to recover. He has a torn ACL but will get a surgery done soon.

She has since shared the great news with newfound friends on Facebook, and the encouragement and complimentary messages continued to flow.

Julia says her family is still in astonishment at how people rallied around despite not knowing them. She says this act of kindness outshines any negative news.

In the meantime, Louie will have to stay put for a while, but he is being fed, pampered, and showered with love. Julia adds that the little things that would bug her, like Louie wanting to run in and out of the house continually, are now minuscule after what they just endured.

She says the empty nest feeling has dissipated, and they are happy to have him in the warmth of the house again.

As a working mother and wife, Savannah Phillips had her share of challenges, but she overcame them to produce a viable career and contribute to her family’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, she also had her own limitations that were all to vivid in her mind, especially as she found herself traveling more and more due to her work. The simple fact was, Savannah was a larger woman. And while in most cases that was not an issue, the condition created particular issues for her when flying. Because of her size, Savannah regular chose seats without people next to her, but it wasn’t always available.

Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western section of the Pacific Ocean. Guam is an environmentally diverse island that ranks as the largest island in Micronesia and the largest of the Mariana Islands. While this geographically complex territory is fascinating in its own right, our interests lead us to a sea turtle named Shelly who found herself in undesirable circumstances off the waters of Gab Gab Beach adjoining Naval Base Guam at Apra Harbor.

Let’s bring our story back in time a little bit so that we can understand how Shelly came to be where she was as well as what the Guam Department of Agriculture Division of Aquatic Wildlife Resources (DWAR) did to save the beautiful animal.

First and foremost, our story starts at the United States Naval Base in Guam, located off the Apra Harbor. This base was combined with the Andersen Air Force Base in 2009 to create what is known as the Joint Region Marianas. Shelly was in the waters right off Gab Gab Beach in Guam when she began to experience troubles. According to a biologist at DWAR, Shelly weighed in at 50 pounds and is estimated as between 15 and 20 years-old.

The first signs of a potential problem with Shelly came as a result of the Environmental Division of the Navy Base. Ann Colt, a resource specialist inside of the division stated, ‘We will be able to track her movements and learn about where she goes to feed and to reproduce.” This type of tracking technology is incredibly important both from an academic standpoint as well as a safety standpoint. By being able to track the turtle, Colt and the rest of the team at DWAR will be able to learn about the animal, track for potential problems, and develop potential solutions in the future using their scientific data.

Shelly was originally acquired for rehabilitating after a blockage within her intestinal system was found. The team at Underwater World would be tasked with helping Shelly to rehabilitate to return to nature. They would provide the massive turtle with a type of mineral oil to get rid of the blockage. From that point forward, UnderWater World’s Rafael Calderon, a Senior Aquarist with the company, focused largely on feeding and rehabilitating the turtle until she was able to accomplish both tasks for herself.

Calderon grew quite close to Shelly during their ten months of rehabilitating together. Calderon stated that he would see her every day for the full ten months that she was under his care. His focus the entire time was on returning the turtle to nature so that it could return to its habitat and focus on repopulating. Calderon admitted that he would be sad to see the creature go, though he understood the importance of the work he was doing as a conservationist and researcher.

If you ever see a sea turtle in the wild, you will probably be advised to leave it alone. Turtles must be returned to the place that they were picked up and any interference could bother or otherwise distress the animal. If you do see a turtle in distress, on the beach or in the water, contact the local authorities to have them take care of the animal.

At just 20-years-old, Shelly was returned to the wild while still in her youth. While few sea turtles survive and thrive all the way to old age, their natural lifespan is estimated to sit somewhere between 50 and 100 years old.