Family enjoys tearful reunion with golden retriever missing for 3 months in Colorado wilderness thanks to a dispatcher's brilliant idea



A family had an emotional reunion with a lost golden retriever who was lost for three months in the Colorado wilderness. The missing dog was found thanks to a police dispatcher's genius idea.

Taylor Salazar and her late husband, Fili, adopted the dog in 2019 when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The couple named the dog "Farrah," and Fili called her "the classic goldie."

"We needed something to brighten up our household. And she did just that," Salazar said. "He was in love with her the minute he saw her."

Fili died three months after Farrah was adopted, but the dog provided Taylor comfort during the grieving process.

On June 21, Salazar's father suffered a seizure while driving and crashed his car. Farrah was in the vehicle during the accident and ran away in the rural area of Colorado. Taylor's dad recovered, but Farrah was nowhere to be found.

Salazar searched for her golden retriever, but was unsuccessful. Salazar got the word out that her dog went missing, and some people saw Farrah.

"If they got too close, she'd run away and she knew where to go. She was hiding," Salazar told KRDO.

Farrah had gone missing for three months, but Taylor never lost hope of being reunited with her dog.

A dispatcher from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office had a brilliant idea. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office was scheduled to conduct an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) exercise, and the dispatcher suggested searching for the dog during the training.

"Today the FCSO UAS team took part in a training mission with a humanitarian twist," the Fremont County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "Farrah the Golden Retriever was lost several months ago when the car she was in was involved in an accident."

"Today, the FCSO drone was deployed in the area where she was last seen," the sheriff's office stated. "Within minutes, Deputies spotted her using the drone's infrared camera."

Taylor said of her tearful reunion, “She stuck her head through the barbed wire fence, and then the next minute she’s laying in my lap and I was like, ‘I got her!’”

"I just started crying," Salazar said.

Salazar helped lure Farrah with chicken.

Being out in the harsh conditions of the Colorado wilderness caused Farrah to lose half her weight. The beloved golden retriever also had an injury to her leg and hip. A veterinarian said Farrah likely was hit by a car and expects one of her legs to be amputated.

Taylor is dedicated to nursing Farrah back to health. Besides the police, Salazar believes her late husband helped bring Farrah home.

Missing golden retriever reunites with family after Fremont County deputies find dog with drone www.youtube.com

Immigrant Korean War vet turned McDonald's owner paid 90 employees for 3 months during closure: 'I've been in their shoes'



McDonald's franchise owner Tony Philou needed to close one of his restaurants because it was in need of renovations. However, the reconstruction would shut down the fast-food restaurant for about three months. That would mean that employees of the McDonald's location would be out of work. However, Philou stepped up big time to make sure his employees were taken care of.

Philou, 90, immigrated to the United States from Greece as a child.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army, and served as an infantryman during the Korean War.

After the war, he worked full-time at the TRW Valve Division plant — an automotive and aerospace parts manufacturer in Cleveland. In 1962, Philou took a part-time job as a fry cook and slicing cheese at a McDonald's in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. He was paid 90 cents per hour.

"I started from the ground level up," Philiou told TODAY.

In 1977, Philou took ownership of the Mayfield Heights location. Philou went on to own and operate several McDonald's franchise locations.

The Mayfield Heights restaurant needed renovations in March, but it would close the location for roughly three months.

“We needed to get it up to par, both facility- and equipment-wise, and also [make it] a better place for the employees to be working,” Philiou told Fox Business.

He was faced with laying off dozens of his employees while the construction took place. Instead, he paid all 90 of his employees throughout the entire closure.

"It was not a hard decision for me," Philiou said. "I’ve been in their shoes. I knew what it would be if they didn't have a check on a weekly basis."

Philou told his employees, "You're going to sit home, you're going to get paid. I'm hoping that you come back with me when I open up the store to run a beautiful store in this lovely community of Mayfield Heights."

Ed Kocsis – the general manager of the restaurant – told the Washington Post, "Employees were floored, and they were extremely appreciative."

Philou stated, "Our employees are extremely grateful. As for the community here, which I’m blessed to be working with, they’ve been very supportive of us."

"I’m blessed to be able to do this," he said. "And I did it because what [my employees] have done in the past have made the store a success."

Philou didn't disclose how much the generous act cost him, but he joked that the restaurant would "need to sell a lot of cheeseburgers to make it up."

The Mayfield Heights McDonald's reopened on July 6 with a large crowd and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Philiou said, "I encourage my employees to stay with me. As I grow, they will grow."

Mayfield Heights McDonald's owner pays employees during renovation www.youtube.com

Teen becomes National Chess Master following 4 intensive brain surgeries



A 17-year-old boy has been declared national chess master after undergoing four major brain surgeries, Fox News has reported.

What are the details?

Griffin McConnell was named national chess master in March.

Just one year before his meritorious win, Griffin underwent his latest brain surgery.

The teen began suffering from seizures when he was four years old -- around the same time he learned how to play the strategy board game.

His father, Kevin McConnell, told Fox News that during one of the surgeries, doctors effectively disconnected the left side of his son's brain.

"He had to learn how to talk from scratch," Kevin told the outlet. "He had to learn how to walk, how to write. … He went from right-handed to left-handed."

Following his earlier surgeries, Griffin was wheelchair-bound and had to undergo a variety of occupational, physical, and speech therapy.

"It was a long, long recovery," he explained.

Griffin said that throughout his surgical ordeal, chess remained a part of him.

When he was just 13, Griffin said that he began experiencing even more dangerous episodes preceding his seizures.

According to the report, it was just three years later that Griffin had to undergo a hemispherectomy to remove a portion of the teen's brain to help control the seizures.

"We let that decision be Griffin's entirely because he was 16 at the time and knew what all this meant, having gone through it seven or eight years ago," Kevin said. "And he elected to move forward with it."

Following the surgery, Griffin became paralyzed on his right side.

"[B]ut he could still move his left side," Kevin added. "We were playing games of chess a week, 10 days after his brain surgery."

Griffin began playing chess in tournaments across the country to further his craft.

"I got increasingly better [at chess]," Griffin said of his latest surgery, which took place in 2021. "I don’t know what happened … but something clicked."

"Griffin started playing chess right away, and he still hovered in that expert rating level," Kevin recalled. "But starting in October of last year, that’s where he went on this insane run where every tournament he went to, he had positive results."

By March, Griffin's determination and love of the game paid off -- and he was crowned national chess master.

"Griffin went from expert to national master in like four and a half months," Kevin said. "For him to go from expert to master in four and a half months is, for anybody, unheard of. It’s certainly unheard of for somebody with a massive brain injury and four brain surgeries."

Griffin said that he won't stop there -- and would love to become an international master.

"I want to see how far I can really go," Griffin McConnell said.

Griffin, according to report, has not suffered one seizure since March 2021.

Man searches for years to find family of child cancer patient in order to give them painting she made before her death



A Texas resident has returned a beautiful piece of artwork to its late creator's parents, sparking warm emotions and memories of the 8-year-old girl who created it.

What are the details?

A KOKH-TV report detailed that Jim Higgins, who purchased a painting from an auction in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that was sponsored by the Oklahoma University Children's Hospital, decided to return the painting to the child artist's parents following her death.

Higgins purchased the piece — a collage-style painting created by an 8-year-old girl named Hope — approximately 10 years ago, saying that it was "one of the best ones" at the auction.

Higgins said that he met the child's parents at the auction and learned that their daughter suffered from a rare and terminal form of brain cancer.

Just a few years after the auction, Hope passed away — and keeping up to date on his donation to the children's hospital, Higgins decided to embark on a journey to reunite the painting with Hope's parents.

It took him nearly four years, however, before he was able to track down the family, and decided to enlist the help of a local TV station.

Feeling that he was running out of options, he reached out to KOKH, who ultimately helped track down Hope's parents, Chad and Bridget Dollarhide.

Within hours of Higgins' request, KOKH was able to get a hold of the Dollarhide family and set up a reunion with Higgins.

The family met with their benefactor on Wednesday and received their late daughter's artwork.

Bridget said that having her daughter's artwork returned was moving beyond compare.

"That gives me such a warm feeling," she told the station. "She's still spreading her brand of hope even though she's not with us anymore."

Bridget said that she fondly remembers Hope's process in creating the artwork.

"She had so much fun," Bridget told the station. "That was like the highlight of her days in the hospital was working on that."

While the pain of losing a loved never really goes away, sometimes help and healing can still appear in unexpected ways.\n\nTonight at 9: How a surprise gift from a stranger brought hope back to this Oklahoma family. @OKCFOXpic.twitter.com/tsci7UKdez
— Rebecca Pryor (@Rebecca Pryor) 1642633263
Feeling Down? Listen & Share these Stories (Pt. 3) | Janice Dean | POLITICS | Rubin Report

Feeling Down? Listen & Share these Stories (Pt. 3) | Janice Dean | POLITICS | Rubin Report

Chick-fil-A employee wins a car at a company raffle — and immediately donates it to a co-worker in dire need. Then she's hit with another wave of good fortune.



A 17-year-old Chick-fil-A employee won a new car during a company Christmas raffle, but gave it to her friend and co-worker who commuted to the job on a regular basis on a bicycle.

What are the details?

According to Today, 17-year-old Haley Bridges of Appleton, Wisconsin, gifted a vehicle to her 19-year-old friend and co-worker, Hokule'a Taniguchi, who had been commuting to and from work on a bicycle all fall and winter long.

Bridges told the outlet that her co-workers aren't just her fellow employees: they're her second family.

"I started working at Chick-fil-A in late August," she told the outlet, noting that she and Taniguchi became fast friends in the following weeks. "I love working here. Not only are the people that work here amazing, but it has taught me so many new things. I always look forward to going to work, I get to see my second family."

Bridges said she was in attendance at the 2020 Christmas banquet when she received five raffle tickets to win the grand prize — a car.

"The car was the only raffle where we couldn't pool our tickets, one ticket per person," Bridges recalled. "Our friend group and some other friends decided to all put one in for her. We were all very nervous that someone else would get chosen, but we kept our hopes up."

Bridges said that she couldn't believe her ears when she heard her name announced as winner of the new vehicle.

"Once my name was called by one of the bosses, Hoku and I looked at each other, this is when she started to cry," Bridges added. "I've never seen her emotional side much. She is a very happy person and very funny and goofy as well. We looked at each other and I started to cry as well. ... My heart felt as if I was racing and we both stood up and ran to each other. Everyone in the room felt like they were gone, it felt as if it was just us two in the moment. We hugged each other hard and cried so much. Everyone was either crying or clapping. We all had a big group hug with everyone near us and it felt so unreal experiencing this."

She added, "No one deserves it more than Hoku."

Bridges was met with another huge stroke of luck after the good fortune of receiving — and giving away — the new vehicle.

"My aunt held a fundraiser to get [her own car loan] paid off!" she revealed. "I was paying monthly for the car, and it took a chunk of my paycheck."

What else?

Taniguchi told WLUK-TV that she feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the Chick-fil-A family.

"I really just started crying, because I was so happy, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I can't believe this is real!'" Taniguchi recalled of the moment she realized she would have a new car. "Now I can go grocery shopping. I can, like, go to work, like, five minutes before now instead of, like, two hours earlier just to get here on time. There's a million more opportunities and possibilities for me now!"

Deceased Texas man goes viral after sharing moving advice in own obituary: Do not 'save things for nice' — 'nice' may never happen; life is lived now



A 75-year-old Texas man has posthumously gone viral after penning his own obituary, which was rife with personal anecdotes and heartfelt wisdom.

What are the details?

Lonnie Dillard, 75, an Austin resident, died on Dec. 18 — just a month after receiving a diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Upon receiving the sad news of his terminal state, Dillard went ahead and wrote his own obituary in a moving farewell letter.

"I suspect very few of you reading this notice knew me personally," he wrote. "You may merely be scanning today's obituary column out of boredom or morbid curiosity, like I used to do, for names or photos of people you know, have known, or known of. And perhaps mumbling a prayer, silently congratulating yourself, that you are not the one — not yet anyway — who has recently passed away."

He continued, "Whatever the reason for your attention, I hope to make your time worthwhile. Instead of cataloging careers and adventures I have had, honors I received, missteps I made or women I loved (I was blessed to have more than my share of each of these) or bemoaning how much my sparkling wit or wisdom will be missed, I thought it better to share a few of the big lessons I learned during my 75 eventful years on Planet Earth."

Dillard's first lesson? "A mother's unwavering love can turn a very ordinary little boy into an extra-ordinary man, if only in his own mind."

"Making and keeping friends, like tending a garden, requires attention and effort," he added. "Yet doing so yields greater returns than anything else you will ever do."

Dillard continued, "As Buddhists say: Be kind; everyone you meet is traveling a difficult journey. There is no substitute for a good deed; but simply helping a stranger laugh or smile can lighten a load, too."

"If your word is no good, chances are very good, you are not either," Dillard pointed out.

"Having money is always better than NOT having money," he added. "But beyond basic needs and a few luxuries, money is not a requirement for happiness. Enough really is enough; greed can hollow out the heart, even topple civilizations."

Dillard later insisted that learning is as important — if not more so — as anything else.

"Time spent learning — anything — is never time wasted," he added.

And speaking of waste — it's a sin, according to Dillard.

"Do not 'save things for nice,'" he continued. "Not the new guest room towels, the good crystal that will surely chip with everyday use, nor that ridiculously expensive jacket you bought on a lark in Florence. 'Nice' may never happen; life is lived now."

Dillard also insisted that happiness is "not the result of what does or does not happen to you in your life," but a "decision you make" on a daily basis.

He concluded, "Unfortunately, I did not know all these lessons all my life; some I paid very dearly to learn. Or re-learn. But I do know that if I could live my life over, I would want these as a starter kit."

The obituary for Dillard, who was married to his wife, Sandi Sain, for nearly 40 years, closed, "Lonnie Dillard was born May 7, 1945, and grew up in west Texas. He died at home in Austin on December 18, after learning of a diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer on November 11. Lonnie is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Sandi Sain, and friends too numerous and far-flung to mention."

(H/T: Fox News)

Woman receives birthday card with Bible verse from her mother — 2 years after her mother's death: 'It was meant for me to receive now'



An Ohio woman received a birthday card from her mother this year — except her mother passed away two years ago.

What are the details?

According to Newsweek, Katrina Jones of Youngstown, Ohio, recently discovered a birthday card in her mailbox.

Confused, she quickly opened the card, which was dated June 20, 2015.

"To what do I owe this honor?" she asked of the card, which was not just five years late in arriving, but six months late in celebrating her birthday.

The return address, she said, was her mother's address.

"Then I looked at the handwriting, and I said, 'That's my mother's handwriting,'" she recalled.

Ohio woman receives birthday card from late mother 5 years later https://t.co/ZPr2utBoOF https://t.co/A1v6diFcB6
— FOX8 WGHP (@FOX8 WGHP)1607950541.0

She opened the card and found birthday regards and a note with a Bible verse scrawled on it.

The note read, "I know the thoughts I have toward you sayeth the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil."

The verse, from Jeremiah 29:11, reads, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!"

Jones said that she and her mother wondered about the missing card all those years ago, and never expected it to turn up on her doorstep two years after her mother's death.

"I do remember many years ago and I think I'm safe to say it must have been 2015 and I remember her asking, 'Hey, did you get a card from me?'" Jones recalled.

"Someone told me at work 'It wasn't meant for you to receive it back then,' it was meant for me to receive now," she added.

Jones, a customer service representative at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, shared the post on her LinkedIn page, writing, "It took 5 1/2 years for me to receive a birthday card and note from my mother. The message was right on time."

Mother, daughter visit grocery store to pick up birthday cupcakes. They receive much, much more.



A Delaware mother and her daughter were recently the recipients of a recent outpouring of goodwill — just in time for the daughter's 18th birthday.

What are the details?

Deborah Cuoco and her 18-year-old daughter, Alexandra, had just arrived at a local Wegmans to pick up birthday cupcakes when they discovered that an anonymous good Samaritan had paid for Alexandra's sweet treats.

According to KYW-TV, a store employee approached the mother-daughter duo when they arrived to pick up the cupcakes and advised them, "This has been paid for."

"I looked at [the clerk] and said, 'I think there's been a mistake," Deborah recalls. "[The clerk] said, 'No, I don't think you understand. Somebody bought these for you.'"

As if to explain further, the clerk handed over a birthday card with a single paragraph.

The card read, "Dear birthday family, we purchased this cake in honor of our daughter Lillian on her first heavenly birthday. We wish you a very happy birthday and a wonderful year."

The "M family" signed the short note, which accompanied the birthday cupcakes.

How did the mom, daughter react?

Alexandra said she was moved by the gesture, and expressed her wishes to thank the family.

"I wish I could say thank you or give the mom a hug," Alexandra told the station. "Happy birthday, Lillian."

Deborah also said that she'll never forget the kind gesture.

"It will have a ripple effect for the rest of my life," she admitted. "I will never forget it. It was the purest form of love."

Deborah said that she plans to pay the gesture forward, and next year on her daughter's birthday, she will do the same thing.

“I intend to go on Aug. 27, 2021, walk into a store with a prepared note explaining Lillian's story, and that we want to pay it forward," Deborah told the station.