Owning a pet is more than just a responsibility. It can be something that can change your life. Taking on the responsibility to take care of something can do great things for your soul. Sure, there are plenty of people who fail to take care of their pets, but there are more good people out there than bad.
If you've ever owned a dog and ended up losing him or her (to death or any other reason), it doesn't take long for you to yearn for another furry friend soon after, but that isn't always so simple. Certain living conditions can stop even the biggest of dog lovers from sharing in the joy of owning a dog.
We are all familiar with the type of person who needs to pet every single dog they see. That's the type of people we're talking about in this story. Jack McCrossan and his roommates weren't allowed to have a dog, so they asked their neighbor if they could walk their dog. The answer they received was shocking.
Jack McCrossan is a man who lives with three other roommates in Bristol, England. They are all good guys who love animals, but unfortunately the home they are all renting together doesn't allow for pets. Then they noticed that their new neighbors had a dog, so they cooked up an idea to quench their thirst for spending time with a dog. They decided to write their neighbors a letter asking if it would be OK for them to spend some time with the dog and take it on walks.
Their letter said the following: "We hope this doesn't come too strong, but our landlord won't allow pets, and we've all grown up with animals. The adult life is a struggle without one." They signed it as "The Boys" and hoped they would hear something in return.
There were a few expected outcomes. One, they would get no response at all. The second would be a no. After all, who would trust some random men with their dog? The third option would be for the owners to respond by saying yes. The actual response they got was something none of them ever expected. The dog, a 2-year-old German Shepherd and Labrador mix, whose name is Stevie Ticks, wrote them back personally.
The dog's letter said, "I love meeting new people and it would be great if we could be friends. I must warn you that the price of my friendship is five ball throws a day and belly scratches whenever I demand them." Stevei's letter even came sealed in an envelope with a little paw print. Needless to say, McCrossan just had to share the adorable letter on Twitter.
The internet responded to Stevei's letter. It has been liked more than 500,000 times. McCrossan spoke with TODAY about how he never expected the letter in return, "We hadn't properly met our neighbors beforehand so it was a complete gamble as to whether they would respond or not. Thankfully they were really good about it and the reply was far better than anything we were expecting, if anything at all."
Stevie's owners, Chris Bowley and Sarah Tolman are the real writers of the letter. They told TODAY, "We've always believed that the love dogs give should be shared by all. It's incredibly difficult to have your own dog with renting so it makes sense for us to share the love out." McCrossan and his crew eventually got to meet Stevie and give him plenty of belly rubs.
