People USA – September 02, 2019

By Wendy Grossman Kantor and Caitlin Keating Have a story that makes you smile? Send suggestions to [email protected]

People pay parking

tickets with pet supplies—

and help a local shelter

MUNCIE, IND.

With 350 cats to feed, the Muncie Animal Shelter was down to its

last 12 bags of cat food—when Chase Winkle, public information

officer for the Muncie Police Department, reached out to the

no-kill rescue with an idea. Inspired by a Las Vegas police

department that had run a similar program, he suggested letting

people pay their parking tickets with donations of cat food and kitty

litter. “It was pretty obvious that they could use a little help,” says

Winkle, who put the offer out on Twitter last month. “They were

jam-packed with cats.” The shelter’s supply room filled up in a week—

and they’re still receiving donations daily. “Other shelters have

emailed me wanting to do this,” says Melissa Blair, director of animal

care and services. “It’s so awesome. It’s like Christmas morning.”

Avid cyclists Jon Blaze and Thao Nguyen have ridden

thousands of miles together since they first met on

Valentine’s Day 2016. So when Blaze, 41, started planning

his proposal, he says he wanted to take Nguyen, 44, on an

unforgettable ride—and make it a moment they would

“reminisce about throughout the years.” On March 20

Blaze led the unsuspecting Nguyen on a carefully planned

ride through Buffalo Bayou Park—a 15.7-mile route that

spelled out ‘Marry Me’ on his GPS app. When he got down

on one knee and presented her with the map, Nguyen says,

“I wanted to cry. He’s pretty wonderful.”

A man takes his girlfriend on a

bike ride—and spells ‘marry me’

HOUSTON

The Internet lit up with applause for this group of service dogs-in-training

after they attended the show at the Stratford Festival last week “It’s

important to prepare the dogs for any activity the handler may

like to attend,” Laura MacKenzie, owner and head trainer with K-9

Country Inn Working Service Dogs, told CBC radio. In addition to

helping their handlers navigate the bathrooms, narrow seat rows and

theater crowds, the pups learn to stay still and quiet in tight spaces

for extended periods of time. “It’s wonderful that going to the theater

is one of the things that you train a service dog for,” says Stratford

Festival spokeswoman Ann Swerdfager. Adds MacKenzie: “The dogs

loved the show almost as much as their handlers did.”

These service dogs earned rave

reviews at a Billy Elliot performance

STRATFORD, ONT.

28

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Muncie Police

Sgt. Kirk

Mace with

furry friends.

Standing ovation anyone?

The dogs ranged from

poodles to golden retrievers.

“He did warn

me that the

route would be a

little odd,” says

Nguyen, who

plans to marry

Blaze in October.

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