Roommates Volunteer To Walk Pup Next Door. Owner's Reply 'Better Than We Could Have Ever Hoped For'

By Amanda Thomason December 18, 2019 at 3:51pm

When you’re starting out in the world and looking for a place to rent, one of the biggest considerations after cost and location is whether or not the space is pet-friendly.

For pet owners, that point is non-negotiable — but sometimes because of pressing circumstances, it becomes necessary to rent a place where you can’t have animals. That was the case for four young men in Bristol, England.

All four had grown up with pets, and now as they forged their way through the grown-up world they couldn’t help but feel that something was missing in their lives. But then they saw a potential answer when a friendly-looking canine popped up in the window of a neighboring house.

Jack McCrossan, one of the four, tweeted about the adventure that ensued.

“Been saying we’d love a dog about the house but our landlord doesn’t allow pets, so my housemate posted a letter to our neighbours asking if we could walk their dog every once and a while and the response was better than we could have ever hoped for,” he tweeted on Dec. 10.

The four decided to compose a letter to their neighbors to inquire about forging a friendship with the pup.

Been saying we’d love a dog about the house but our landlord doesn’t allow pets, so my housemate posted a letter to our neighbours asking if we could walk their dog every once and a while and the response was better than we could have ever hoped for pic.twitter.com/dcMOfPk5UH

— Jack McCrossan (@Jack_McCrossan) December 10, 2019

“Dear neighbour, We are four engineers that have recently moved into the area in the past 3-4 months,” they began, according to photos shared on Twitter. “Our house is a comprised of an Englishman, two Scotts and a Welshman. Diversity.”

“The other day, we noticed a four-legged friend looking at us out the window when we arrived home from work. He or she looked like the good-est boy/girl there is. If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so. 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 up our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do.”

“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. We look forward to hearing from you. Or not. Yours sincerely, the boys from number 23.”

When the neighbors next door — Sarah and Chris — got the letter, they were happily surprised.

“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,” Sarah Tolman told Buzzfeed.

She composed a response, addressed to “The Boys” and written from her pup’s perspective.

“Dearest Boys, What a treat it was to receive your letter!” she began. “On the subject of treats, I like them a LOT. Big ones and meaty ones and cheesy ones… oh sorry… where was I?!”

“I am two years and 4 months old, and I am a Sheprador (Lab x GSD). I come from cyprus originally but Chris and Sarah rescued me from a cage in the ‘doggy hotel.’

“You’re right that I am the bestest-girl — how did you know?? I am very friendly and full of beans. 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 5x ball throws a day and belly scritches whenever I demand them.

“We here understand how hard it is to find pet friendly rentals– and life just isn’t full without a dog in it — right?? I’d love to hang out whenever you fancy. Give my servant Chris a whatsapp and we can arrange a meet up! Looking forward to mlemming you!”

Update: The boys from 23 just met Stevie, looks like the start of a beautiful friendship (Give Stevie a follow on Instagram: stevieticks) #stevieticks pic.twitter.com/HkhDzzQcSG

— Jack McCrossan (@Jack_McCrossan) December 15, 2019

Of course, the letter was signed appropriately, too, from “Stevie Ticks,” which was the name of the dog the young men had spotted. On Sunday, they had a meet-and-greet and things went swimmingly.

“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!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GMMjRHw3p/

The four engineers clearly made an impression on the dog, as she seemed to miss them after her visit.

“We could hear her thundering around through the walls, and she obviously enjoyed herself, as when they dropped her back home she sat whining at the door and window for hours afterwards,” Tolman said after Stevie’s visit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GKxTVn2Aq/

Of course, more than the neighbors are involved in the friendship now; readers of all ages and locales are falling in love with the blooming friendship, the neighborliness and the problem-solving these engineers employed.

“Surprised is an understatement,” McCrossan said of his post going viral. “It’s honestly felt very surreal seeing how popular the post has been and the thousands of positive responses from everyone!”

“We obviously know that Stevie is a very special hound, but we love that she has brought so much joy and love to so many people,” Tolman said. “I think everyone just needs a reminder every now and then that humanity is found in the small things.”

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