If it wasn’t for the group pic at the end I wouldn’t have believed it!
“We are at the hospital. Having a baby today! She has dilated to between 5-6.”
This was the exciting text message Teresa Lashley sent out to what she thought was a group of close friends and family. Teresa’s daughter-in-law, Lindsey, was currently in labour with her husband (and Teresa’s son) by her side.
“Congrats lol but I think someone got the wrong number”
That was Dennis Williams’ response to the unexpected group chat he was suddenly added to. It could have ended there, but instead Dennis and his brother Deorick decided to congratulate the family in person (with their blessing), bearing gifts and warm messages. The ensuing photo and experience is something none of them will ever forget.
The texts and photo have gone viral on Facebook and it’s a great story to tell little Carson when he’s older. Welcome to the world Carson and congratulations to the Lashley family!
The innovative program increases the pets’ chances for adoption
An innovative program at the Missouri Humane Society is helping kids practice reading in front of a non-judgemental audience while shy shelter dogs learn to socialize with humans, increasing their chances for adoption.
The Shelter Buddies Reading Program also helps reduce the anxiety of shelter pets while nurturing empathy amongst the participating children.
To participate, donate or register visit the official Humane Society of Missouri website. Below you will find photos and video of the amazing program in action.
Kumbali is the son of Khari and Hatari. When he was two weeks old, animal caretakers at the Metro Richmond Zoo noticed that he was not only not gaining weight but was in fact, losing weight, making him the runt of his litter.
Caretakers soon discovered that his mom, Khari, was not producing enough milk for her cubs and only 2 of her 8 nipples were producing milk. It was then that the zoo staff decided to hand raise the cub, bottle feeding him to ensure he would grow up to be big and healthy. [source]
Male cheetahs are social animals and Kumbali was no different. Separated from his family, he needed companionship and Kago, a lab mix puppy, rescued from a kill shelter in Alabama was the perfect match.
The idea of using dogs as companion animals to cheetahs was first pioneered by the San Diego Zoo over 30 years ago and the concept has been adopted by other zoos around the world ever since. Although the relationship would never occur in the wild, dogs have been shown to have a calming influence to cheetahs in captivity. [source]
Watch the Amazing Video Below
to Learn About Kumbali and Kago
In the short term, Kumbali and Kago will continue to strengthen their bond. If the caretakers believe Kumbali can be safely reintroduced to his family they will try. If that were to happen the zoo’s director would adopt Kago into his personal home. It’s also possible that the two live out their lives together, only time will tell.
When Christine Quinn said ‘yes’ to her husband-to-be Patrick, she knew she wanted her Nana Betty to be by her side on their wedding day. After the two tied the knot in May, their wedding photographer Julie Melton of Sweetwater Portraits uploaded photos of their special day.
Pictures of the jubilant 89-year-old bridesmaid spread like wildfire online and the grandmother and granddaughter were an instant hit. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Christine explained:
“While she doesn’t live that close, we have continually made it a point to spend as much time together as possible. She just has an amazing sense of humor and outlook on life that I strive to emulate every day. Everyone loves her.” [source]
Christine said she was the life of the party and had everyone laughing and smiling; an unforgettable day that both of them will cherish for the rest of their lives. You can read more about the wedding on the Sweetwater Portraits Blog.
Two lives separated by 5,000 miles and 25 years discover they are not only related, but are long lost identical twins.
Anaïs Bordier always knew she was adopted. Her birth certificate said she was born in Busan, South Korea; an only child to a young, unmarried woman. Anaïs grew up in France in a loving home with loving parents. In February 2013 her whole life would change.
Now 25 years old, Anaïs was studying fashion in London when she stumbled upon a YouTube video featuring an actress in Los Angeles named Samantha Futerman. The resemblance was uncanny. Not only did they look nearly identical but they had similar mannerisms and idiosyncrasies; the only difference was their accent.
The YouTube video was a trailer which meant the actress (and doppelgänger) would likely have an IMDB profile. Anaïs was right, and when she brought up her profile it said Samantha was born on November 19, 1987 in South Korea. The date matched Anaïs’ birth certificate.
Could they actually be twins? The idea consumed her. Anaïs spent a long time composing a message to Samantha, telling her to compare their Facebook profiles and pictures. Samantha quickly replied, sending a picture of her birth certificate that said they were born in the same clinic on the same day.
The two quickly started chatting online; sharing pics, skyping and marvelling at how similar they were. The connection was instant and powerful. Samantha realized immediately that the story was special and began to document all of their correspondences.
Samantha decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign to see if anyone wanted to hear their story. People did and Twinsters was born. The documentary, which debuted at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, follows the two on their journey of discovery as they meet in-person and nurture their growing bond.
To confirm they were indeed ‘identical’, Dr Nancy Segal, a specialist in twin studies at California State University, offered to do a DNA test. After swabbing their cheeks together on Skype, they sent the results to Dr Segal who confirmed the results: Anaïs and Samantha were identical twins.
Meet Bob, an adorable Golden Retriever that lives in Brazil with his 9 best friends; 8 birds and one hamster to be exact. Bob likes to share pictures of him and his friends on Facebook and Instagram, where he has over 169,000 followers! If you enjoy the gallery, there are hundreds more at the links below. You stay fly Bob!
19 years ago, 62-year-old Mitani Hisao walked into a Tokyo pet shop and purchased a five-centimetre baby tortoise. Hisao calls him Bon-chan and the African spurred tortoise now weighs 70 kg (154 lbs) and has a shell that measures 75 cm (2 ft 5 in) in diameter.
Two to three times a week Hisao and Bon-chan go for long walks (1.5 – 2 hours!) on the streets of Tokyo, much to the delight of all onlookers and pedestrians. The slow moving duo cause a stir wherever they go.
Meet Mrs. T, a 90-year-old tortoise who lives with her owner in Pembroke, West Wales, UK. Tragically this past winter, a rat broke into Mrs. T’s hutch while she was hibernating and chewed off her two front legs.
When owner Jude Ryder discovered the horrifying scene during a routine check-up, she immediately rushed Mrs. T to her local vet.
The doctors told Jude they would have to amputate her legs to save her life. Jude feared that Mrs. T would not survive the trauma of losing her mobility. Desperate, she turned to her son Dale for help.
Dale, 37, a mechanical engineer, was actually the original owner of Mrs. T. Jude had bought the tortoise—who at the time was around 60—for her then 8-year-old soon nearly thirty years ago. Determined to help, Dale came up with an ingenious solution.
Using a set of wheels from a model aircraft, Dale affixed them to her shell using resin. Mrs. T not only got her mobility back but now she’s faster than ever!
Aside from having to get a new set of tires from time to time, Mrs. T could easily live another 50 years! You can read the complete story on The Telegraph.
It was a cold and windy day when Cameron Bloom’s son Noah spotted her, a 3-week old Magpie that had fallen out of her nest and been abandoned by her mother. “She barely had any feathers … and she was close to dying,” Bloom recalls.
The Sydney-based family took her to their local vet where they were told it was possible to raise the chick but that magpies required a lot of time and care and needed to be fed regularly and often.
The family of five (three boys) were up for the challenge and nursed the abandoned magpie back to health. They named her Penguin and they made her a nest in one of the trees in their backyard. She comes and goes as she pleases but she always seems to come back to the family that rescued her.
Bloom, who is a professional photographer, has been documenting the relationship between Penguin and his family on the wildly popular Instagram account @penguinthemagpie, which now boasts over 68,000 followers. Be sure to check out the incredible feed that already features nearly 100 beautiful portraits of Penguin and the Bloom family.
For the last 27 years these two brothers have sent each other the same birthday card, filling whatever space they can find for some brotherly love. Sometimes they are early, often they are late and sometimes they completely miss a year! But the tradition continues along with the passing back and forth of a single dollar bill. The card was recently shared by one of the brother’s sons on reddit
In the comments the son adds some interesting background information. For example the brothers go to great lengths to exchange the card in person and if you find a women’s name crossed out, that’s an ex-wife…
