Personnel at the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA) in Kettering, Ohio, stated that the 1-year-old dog started a nice simple habit to make his cold kennel a bit more comfy. “Rush makes his bed every day at an animal shelter while he waits for a family to adopt him,” SICSA posted on Facebook. 

“He’s been waiting for over 30 days.” Thanks to the adorable video above, Rush found a new family:

  The family had seen the video, came and met Rush and fell in love,” Nora Vondrell, executive director of SICSA, told ABC News. I’m really happy for Rush and I hope his new family gives him the love he deserves 🙂
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 On a recent trip to the Penllergare Valley Woods, Charlie decided to chase some ducks. It was the first time he had ever done so, and it soon landed him in trouble. Charlie jumped in the lake to paddle after the ducks, but soon found himself trapped in the water. “Charlie was going further and further out and was getting stuck in the reeds. You could see he was struggling to stay afloat,” Jane told Wales Online. 

 Jane worried, but couldn’t go in after him: “I’m disabled, so there was no way I could’ve swum out to get him. Which just left me standing there helpless on the bank thinking, ‘What the hell do I do now’?”

Then suddenly, a complete stranger jumped into the water and started swimming after Charlie! It was no easy task, but the teen successfully swam out and reached Charlie. He freed the dog, and led him back to shore. “The poor lad himself was also quite shaken up afterwards,” Jane said. “I think it had been a tougher swim than he’d expected and I’m really grateful to him for risking his own safety the way he did.” 

 While it was an ordeal, it was worth it to save Charlie’s life. Jane was extremely grateful: “So I’ve no doubt in my mind that had Connor not got to him right then he’d have died,” she told Wales Online. Jane shared the story on Facebook. She still didn’t know the boy’s name, but wanted to give him credit for his remarkable good deed. 

  “This young Scottish lad is my hero!” she wrote. But as the post went viral, she soon learned his identity: Connor Telford, a 17-year-old from Dundee, Scotland. And she soon learned the eventful day was his first time in Wales. “He lives in Scotland and arrived in Wales today, this was his first stop on his holiday in The Mumbles,” Jane wrote. 

 Needless to say, it was quite an eventful, and exhausting, start to a vacation: “This was the first day of Connor’s first ever trip to Wales – and, oh my goodness, what a day it turned out to be,” Connor’s girlfriend’s mother Shelagh told Wales Online. 

  “He’s not a strong swimmer but launched himself headfirst into the lake with no thought for his own safety. He came out bedraggled, visibly shaken and was physically sick – but he’s recovering well from his ordeal.” But she says the teen has recovered thanks to some ice cream, and he’s been widely praised as a hero online. 

  “Without this lad and you all clapping and cheering him to keep him fighting then I’d be telling a very different story,” Jane wrote.

  Thank you to Connor for going out of the way to save Charlie from drowning! You’re a true hero.❤
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 In a heartbreaking photo, shared on Instagram by Virunga National Park, the two lifelong friends can be seen bonding for the very last time. Ndakasi can be seen lying her head on her carer and protecter’s chest, Andre Bauma, before giving her last breath. The two went viral a couple of years ago, after posing in a selfie. “It is with heartfelt sadness that Virunga announces the passing of beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, Ndakasi, who had been under the care of the Park’s Senkwekwe Center for more than a decade,” the touching words read. 

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A post shared by Virunga National Park (@virunganationalpark)

Ndakasi – like all the other primates that live in the Virunga park, Congo – was a symbol of hope and determination. A great example of how much these magnificent creatures have to endure, only because of poaching. 

Ndakasi was first brought at the Senkwekwe Centre, in Viruga park, when she was only two-month-old. Back then, she was rescued by the park’s rangers, after she lost her mom – also due to poaching. An endangered species, Viruga’s mountain gorilla are being protected by over 600 devoted rangers, who are always ready to put their lives on the line to protect these gentle giants. 

The beautiful friendship between Ndakasi and Andre, shows the deep, and so special bond, the rangers share with these innocent souls!
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But sometimes, a male will step up to take care of his children, especially if their mother is unable to. That was the case recently, with a male swan who has gone viral for taking care of his kids on his own after the death of his mate. 

 Recently, a swan couple made a home near the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Massachusetts. They recently hatched nine cygnets, much to the delight of visitors, and the swans and their babies quickly became local celebrities.

Were saddened to report that the mother swan of the adorable Esplanade swan family passed away last night in her nest. We want to thank @animalboston for safely removing her from the swan's nest while the father swan sat at the nest with their cygnets tucked under his wings. pic.twitter.com/CnuYZOKWcK

— Charles River Esplanade (@EsplanadeBoston) June 1, 2021

It was the first sign these newborn swans would be okay, despite the loss of their mother, thanks to their caring dad. The death of the mother swan left visitors heartbroken, but they continued to visit the lagoon to see the family — and a man named Matthew Raifman caught an inspiring sight that left him running for his camera. 

  “I noticed something was kind of unusual,” Matthew told WBZ-TV. “All the baby cygnets were on top of the papa swan.”

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A post shared by Matthew Raifman (@matthewraifman)

He snapped a few photos of the dad giving his chicks a ride on his back (with one tailing behind in the water). He called it “probably the best photo I’ve ever taken,” and described the situation as “one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming stories in a while.” 

 He also said that as the father of a toddler, he really felt for the single dad swan. “I felt sort of a kindler spirit with this papa swan that is just trying to be resilient in the face of a pretty challenging life,” Matthew told WBTV. 

  “I can relate on some level, I think, to what it’s like to be a new dad struggling with a challenging situation you need to overcome.”

Papa Swan carrying his babies on his back 🥺❤️ @wbz @EsplanadeBoston pic.twitter.com/SqEQkKkV9s

— Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) June 4, 2021

The swan’s resilience has turned a heartbreaking story into an inspiring one, and now locals visit the esplanade to see this heroic dad swan. “They seem to be doing well,” Emma Feeney told The Dodo.

  “You can tell that he’s just a great, great father to them. It’s very adorable.” “They’ve been through so much, but they seem so strong.”

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A post shared by Matthew Raifman (@matthewraifman)

It’s sad that the mother swan passed away, but we’re so happy this dad has stepped up to the plate to take care of these babies.
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