Pets
🐶

‘She laid there. I stroked her head, closed her eyes, kissed her. I removed her collar, and told her one last time, ‘I love you so much.’ I filled my pockets with tissues, and walked out.’
“A lady behind me in line was excited to see her. After a few head pets, the lady told her to ‘have a good day.’ I almost lost it. I almost fell to the floor. The cashier went to hand me my receipt and I missed. The tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t grab a receipt. I couldn’t speak.”

‘If people had hearts like dogs, we would be better humans.’
“We would take up space without guilt. We would love our people unconditionally. We would find and fill empty spaces in rooms and hearts. We would offer up nonjudgmental support.”

‘Aww, You’re such a freak of nature!’ I stood there, with my own obvious difference, unsure of what to say. Because I’ve been there. ‘Two-face.’ ‘Ugly.’ ‘Freak.’
“I went to the animal shelter to look at puppies. Then I saw her. She has extra claws on her back paws. I ranted. I raved. If that’s what she thought about a dog in her care, what was she thinking about the customer standing in front of her with half of a purple face?”

‘There is a baby, and there is a heartbeat.’ Those words sparked hope. Then, our doctor told us I should take it easy, and wait for my body to abort the baby. WHAT?! No.’
“There were more seizures, and this time it was Infantile spasms. He paused before asking, ‘Have you ever heard of this?’ My heart nearly stopped. There was no way. When we were matched with a puppy, they were instantly at peace. We knew, they were made for each other.”

‘I stood in our doorway. After 9 years together, these are the final days of just me and Jake. With an aching I can’t shake, our lives are far from perfect.’
“Tonight, it hit me. These are the good old days. My man, this bedroom, that quilt, those dogs. Now let’s pause for a second and set the record straight.”

‘Girl with the dog, girl with the dog!’ I was homeless, suicidal. I walked into hell and found an angel. Her name is Sharon.’: Woman battling mental illness thanks strangers for saving her life
“I take the pills in my hand and go to swallow them, but something stops me. Cindy, my dog. I can’t leave her yet. For thirteen days, Cindy and I are homeless. ‘SOMEONE HELP US!’ I am coming undone. A woman steps forward, waving a flier wildly in my face. I suddenly feel HOPE.”

Love What Matters Makes The 2018 Chartbeat List Of Most Engaging Stories – Twice
In February, we launched Love What Matters with the dream of building a community around hope, support, compassion, healing and kindness. From day one, you embraced us with open arms, learning, opening up and connecting with one other. Today, we’re proud Love What Matters has two stories on the 2018 Chartbeat List of Most Engaging …

‘I was nervous, scared, overwhelmed, and downright terrified to take this tiny human home! How was I going to do this all alone? But Jager was always there to lend a helping paw.’: New mother relies on service dog to help her through postpartum depression
“I would cry for what seemed like no reason. I would get so overwhelmed at the sound of my baby crying. Jager fetched bottles for me, diapers if I asked him to. Mostly he would just sit and listen to me. Always offering a good old-fashioned, wet, slobbery kiss if I needed it. He is so much more than just a dog to me.”

‘When I went to pick her up, her feet were stuck on the road.’ Good Samaritan rescues kitten GLUED to the road, names her Sticky the Kitty
“It’s a kitten sitting upright just shaking like a leaf. Some jerk had spread glue on its paws and stuck it to the road. She was wet and freezing, and NO ONE STOPPED.”