While lockdown has been a personal struggle for all of us, spare a thought for those high-risk individuals who have been advised by the government to not leave the house at all throughout this epidemic. There are many people in the world whose health problems make them vulnerable to becoming very sick if they catch coronavirus, so naturally, it must be a very scary and uncertain time for them.
Not only are these people dealing with the fear of catching the virus, but many are also experiencing loneliness due to being trapped inside their homes for months, sometimes without a family member or partner to keep them company.
Our hearts go out to these people, and that’s why we’re particularly happy to have stumbled across the story of one woman and her dog who did everything they could to help their elderly quarantined neighbor.
Meet Sunny, a golden retriever who lives with his owner, Karen Eveleth, in Colorado.
When lockdown first began, Karen became instantly aware that her elderly neighbor, Renee Hellman, would not be deemed safe to leave the house. Renee has long-term respiratory issues, which meant that she fell into the category of individuals who would not be able to go out until the pandemic was over.
Karen was determined to help her neighbor of 10 years. She kindly offered to do Renee’s grocery shopping for her, but she needed her neighbor’s shopping list, and there had to be a way to take it from her whilst still social distancing. Of course, the simple way to do this would be to post the list through the letterbox – but Karen had an idea that was much more fun.
That’s where Sunny came in.
Each time Renee needed some groceries, Karen would send Sunny next door to pick up their neighbor’s list. Renee would be waiting at the door for the clever pup, and as she handed over her list, she had an opportunity to pet him for a while. Just imagine how amazing petting a dog would feel to somebody who has had no human interaction for weeks.
“She got the list, she gave it to Sunny, Sunny brought it to me,” Karen told KKTV. “I went to the store, got her groceries, and he delivered them all to her.”
Once Karen had bought all of the groceries that Renee needed, she would then hand the bag over to Sunny, who carried it to their neighbor’s front door.
Renee spoke of how much she appreciated the company from Sunny, as well as the act of kindness that Karen was providing.
“Little things like Sunny coming over to visit is nice and it makes you feel good. It’s a way of communicating.” She added: “It’s been fun. It’s been a real treat.”
Speaking about her good deed, Karen encouraged others to help out with those who need it in this time, saying:
“Anybody can do something so small that could be so helpful.”
We definitely agree! Watch the full video below.
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