upworthy

neighbors

Pets

Four guys asked their new neighbor if they could walk her dog. Then the dog wrote back.

"If you ever get bored, we are more than happy to look after him/her."

via Stevieticks / Instagram

A black dog and a note form "the boys from number 23."

If you've lived your whole life with a dog, a home has to feel pretty empty without one. Your heart has to feel like there's something missing as well. When Jack McCrossan, originally from Scotland, moved to Bristol, England with his three friends, they were bummed out to learn that their landlord didn't allow dogs.

So when they saw a beautiful black Sheprador (a German Sheppard Lab mix) in their neighbor's window, they knew that had to become buddies with her. They wrote the dog's owner, Sarah Tolman, a letter asking to arrange a play date with the dog. "If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so," they wrote.

"If you ever get bored (we know you never will, but we can dream), we are more than happy to look after him/her. If you want to come over and bring him/her to brighten our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do," the letter continued.


"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 wrote. "Yours sincerely, The boys from number 23," the letter concluded.

Soon after, the boys in 23 received a response from the dog herself, Stevie Ticks, accepting the offer. However, it may have been written by her human, Sarah Tolman. In the letter, Stevie shares a bit about herself, saying she's two years and four months old, was adopted in Cyprus, and that she's "very friendly and full of beans." (The boys shouldn't worry about a gassy hound, in England, "full of beans" means lively.)


"I love meeting new people and it would be great if we can be friends. I must warn you that the price of my friendship is 5 x ball throws a day and belly scratches whenever I demand them," the letter continued. A few days later, the boys got to meet Stevie. "Meeting Stevie was great!" McCrossan told Buzzfeed. "She was definitely as energetic as described. We got to take her for a walk and she wouldn't stop running!"

black labrador, dogs, dog-walkers, kind nieghbors, stevieticks, bristol, ukA black labrador (representative image).via Canva/Photos

Tolman thought the boys' letter was a fantastic gesture in an era where, quote often, neighbors are strangers. "In a day and age where people don't really know or speak to their neighbors, it was really nice for them to break down that barrier," she said. After the story went viral, she saw it as an opportunity for people to share their love of dogs with the world. "My mother and I are amazed at all the love we've received from around the world these past few days," Tolman wrote as Stevie. "If you have a doggo in your life, share that love with those around you."

A lot has changed in the past 6 years since this story warmed hearts around the globe. The boys have since moved away, but as of September 2024, Stevie is around 8 years old and still doing well. Her keeper and Sarah's partner, Chris Bowley, shared an update on Instagram. "[The boys] sadly moved out of Bristol. However, we have always tried to keep the ethos going of Stevie having as many friends and meetups as possible," Bowley wrote.


This article originally appeared six years ago.

Community

Man notices a single mom's fence falling down so he stopped to build her a new one for free

"Plus I'm sure if they could afford to get it done, it would've been did by now."

Man sees neighbor's fence falling down so he builds a new one

It's not unheard of for people to do nice things for their neighbors. Borrowing a bag of rice to finish dinner or collecting the neighbor's mail while they're on vacation. All of these scenarios are within the realm of normalcy of kind neighborly interactions and while some neighbors may even come over to assist with a weekend project, most don't take on huge projects without prompting.

A man that goes by the name Uncle Jhon has made it his mission to go above and beyond for his neighbors. That's why when he was driving through his neighborhood and noticed a neighbor's fence laying on the ground, he decided to get out of his truck and help. But not just help, no. Jhon took the entire fence down, cut it up and built a new one that wouldn't require replacing for many years to come.

"So today I was riding down the street and that's when I noticed my neighbor's fence laying on the ground, so I decided to replace it completely for free. Just because I' retired y'all and I ain't got nothing better to do. Plus I'm sure if they could afford to get it done, it would've been did by now," the friendly neighbor says in the video he uploaded to social media.

Farm Life Building GIF by WIESEMANN 1893Giphy

Jhon quickly clarifies, "Now I didn't just jump out of my truck with a saw and start cutting these people's fence up. I actually knocked on their door to see if this was something they actually wanted me to do and they was more than excited to tell me yeah when I told them I was going to do it for free."

The woman that owns the home is a single mom who lives with her own mother who was recently involved in a car accident that left the car totaled. While the family are having a small rough patch, they have been attempting to get the fence replaced for several years but the cost is too much. The removal and installation of a new six foot privacy fence can run anywhere from $4,000 to well over $10,000 depending on the size of the yard, type of gates, and style of privacy fence being installed.

Guy Tearing Down Fence Takes A Tumble GIF by ViralHogGiphy

Jhon explains that the family had been quoted over $6,000 by multiple contractors in order to the fence replaced, "and we all know with the state the world in right now, $6,000? You might as well say that's a million dollars."

It took the man just under three hours to complete the new fence and cost him a total of $2,173.89. He explains that he has big plans for his neighborhood by doing his part to make it look more desirable. Jhon uses the money he makes off of TikTok to purchase materials for the free projects he does. The handy neighbor also has a website that has free blueprints of DIY projects like raised garden beds, sheds, mailboxes and more.


@unclejhonn Level 2025: Rebuilding the Community… #unclejhonn #diy #diyfence ♬ original sound - Uncle Jhonn

People can't stop praising the man's action and dedication to his neighborhood with one person writing, "This is what we need more of neighbors helping neighbors!

"That fence looks amazing!!! You can tell that you didn’t take shortcuts either. Built it like it was for yourself!!! Good on ya," another writes.

"As a single mom thank you I know that family are so grateful and appreciate you," someone else shares.

"You are such a good human. My mom was a single parent for many years and an older gentleman rebuilt our front and back porch because he was worried my Nana would get hurt. My mom was so grateful," one person reminisces.

Joy

She asked her Muslim neighbor about funeral customs, then left with an unexpected gift

This heartfelt video is reminding everyone about the beauty of sharing cultures.

@babybugz213/TikTok

No one would argue that the United States of America has felt…not so united lately. And the results of the 2024 election, distressing headlines about seemingly never-ending political divide, the very real possibility of hard won human rights being snatched away…it all adds to feelings of disillusionment. Not only in the ethos of the American Dream. But of humanity itself.

And yet, its times like these when it becomes more important than ever to seek out moments that suggest otherwise. Those real life acts of compassion, kindness, respect and generosity that help us believe, as a wise 13 fifteen year old once said, that “people are really good at heart.”

This is one of those stories.

In a video captured by a ring doorbell camera (the modern day gadget that gives us glimpses into the soul of humanity on the regular) we see an older white woman approaching her Muslim neighbor.

In case you’re anxious—this is not going to turn into a Karen moment.

Rather, the woman lets her neighbor know that she is going to a Muslim funeral, and is a bit daunted by wearing a headscarf to the ceremony. So she asks for instructions as to how to put it on appropriately.

A truly lovely interaction ensues, where the Muslim neighbor not only gives the woman a demonstration and encourages her to practice wrapping the scarf in real time, but lets the woman keep the item. The conversation ends with the neighbor telling the woman “you look beautiful.” No animosity. No politics. No battle of beliefs. Just two women of different walks of life connecting through kindness.

Watch:

It’s no wonder why this video has been going viral on multiple social media platforms. It’s giving people things to appreciate about a wide range of topics.

Check out some of the lovely comments below:

“Awww. And honestly, her generation don’t think to pull up a tutorial on YouTube, their instinct is to ask somebody that they know. This so genuine and wholesome ❤️”

“As a Muslim, I just knewwwwwwww and expected that she would say keep it. Palestinians are the same with keffiyehs and the hospitality is engrained in both the religion and culture.”

“Being open to being educated about one another is what starts beautiful relationships and understanding. We are all human just trying to make it through this life, on different paths but really, end up in the same place at the end 🌈”

“I wish more people would realize this. All the time on the internet and social media [and] they aren’t seeing real world. Just a small ugly portion that of course is going to be posted on the net to get views. Like Yelp, far more people are likely to post a negative review than to post a positive review imo. Also kindness starts in your communities. It can't happen at a global level without first starting at a small local level.”

“That is the most wholesome interaction I’ve seen between two people, that is beautiful.”

“More of this please.”

Lots of folks chimed in to say that this was the perfect example of what it truly means to be an American.

“This is the America that I was raised up believing. I was taught in school that America was a melting pot and that we all come together to make this country great. I just don't know how we got to where we are today.”

“This is the “melting pot” in full effect. THIS is what makes America beautiful. Learning & *embracing* (key word here) each other’s differences.”

“THIS IS AMERICA. This is when America is great.”

Of course, it’s not like this everywhere. But these moments do happen more often than the news or the internet would have us believe. Times are tough right now—but there is always goodness to be found. And searching for it is just one small way we fight to create a better world.









The young Mealy family was blown away by the instant kindness of their new neighbors.

If you're looking for a reminder of the good in people, we've got some sweet evidence for you.

Madison Mealy and her husband Blake recently moved to a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains and are new to country living. Mealy shared a video on TikTok showing her husband mowing the lawn with their baby in a backpack.

Cute, right? The only problem is they have a humongous lawn and her husband was mowing it with the teeniest push mower.

To be fair, if you've never had a big lawn, you may not realize how long it takes to mow and that not all lawn mowers are created equal. (They make riding lawn mowers for a reason, and it's not because of laziness.)

Mealy shared her amusement at having sent her husband out to buy a mower and seeing him come back with the tiny mower. It was going to take him hours to mow their grass.


But after she took a shower and went back to check on his progress, what she found was so heartwarming.

Not one, not two, but several strangers—presumably neighbors—had seen Blake trying to tackle their acreage with a subpar mower, and they showed up to help.

"We don't know any of these people," Mealy wrote.

Watch:

"Reminder: there's a lot of good left in this world," wrote Mealy.

It's true. Helping without being asked. Showing up when you see a need. Taking a burden off of someone's back without expecting anything in return. There are instances of pure human kindness like this all around us, every day, even if they're not right in front of our faces.

We have plenty of viral examples of people at their worst, so it's important that we share humanity at its best. And if you're tempted to think that the former is the norm while goodness is the exception, don't. Studies show that most people are honest, generous and helpful.

As Mealy said, "People are so good." We just need beautiful reminders like this on occasion.

Thanks for providing one of those reminders, Mealy family. (Now go get yourselves a proper mower.)


This article originally appeared on 06.17.22