Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF Fri-Yay/Goodnews

~ John W. Howell

Today’s good news comes to us from the Daily Paws. Here is the story unedited.

Elderly, Blind Golden Retriever Returns Home After 3 Weeks Missing in Alaska Wilderness

The Alaskan bush is tough terrain for almost anyone, let alone an elderly, blind, golden retriever.
By Jennifer Huizen August 30, 2022
CREDIT: CHENDONGSHAN / GETTY

If you’re a fan of Naked and Afraid, you know how hard it is to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. But let us introduce you to an older, blind golden retriever who held her own in the wild for three weeks alone.

On June 18, the Kubacki family’s beloved fur-baby, Lulu, went missing. “She means everything,” her dad Ted Kubacki told theAssociated Press. “I have five daughters, and they’re 4 to 13 years old, so they’ve spent every day of their life with that dog.”

The entirety of the Kubacki family searched for Lulu for weeks, but to not avail. Cruelly, someone even texted the family, telling them they’d found Lulu—only to then follow up with a “just kidding.”

But on July 5, a construction crew spotted the golden retriever, who they initially mistook for a bear, in a salmonberry bush lining the road they were working on. Lulu was about 15 feet down an embankment off the side of the road, not too far from the Kubacki’s home. Upon closer inspection, the construction workers realized they had found a dog who needed care.

Ted Kubacki told the AP that when he got word Lulu had been discovered, “I called my wife from work and it was just screaming. … She just starts yelling, then she yells to the kids. And I just hear them screaming like crazy.”

“I just expected to come back and be like, ‘Hey, here’s my dog.’ She’s going to jump up and wag her tail and kiss my face, and she couldn’t even pick up her head,” Kubacki told the AP. “She’d been through the wringer.”

But after medical attention, R & R, and food, Lulu is on the mend.

“Slowly but surely she started eating and she was kind of able to pick her head up. But then yesterday, she propped herself up on her front paws by herself, like nestled into me and gave me a kiss and wagged her tail and it was just so great,” Kubacki told the AP.

Kubacki told the AP he was worried about covering Lulu’s vet bills, but people from their town of Sitka had donated hundreds to foot the bill.

“We have our family member home,” Kubacki said.

The good news here is Lulu never gave up.

Todays JohnKu talks about giving up. I hope you have a great weekend.

Love by John W. Howell © 2022

Wanting to give up,

And we think the time has come . . .

Think of those we love.

 

77 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF Fri-Yay/Goodnews”

  10. Now this story just hit me in the feels. I am always amazed by animals that manage to find their way home; though in this case, with a little help.
    Beautiful story and wonderful haiku, John.
    Happy Friday!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Having just been through worrying for a sick pet, I can relate to their fear of losing Lulu and their immense relief and gratitude upon getting her back. What fabulous news. FriYAY, indeed. Thanks, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Such a beautiful, heart-warming story! Thank you, John. Your haiku is perfect, and the final words are so wise: think of those we love. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Aw, what a great story! Too bad this senior pup can’t tell us what she faced, what her feelings were, and how she managed to get back home. Must’ve been pretty horrifying, not being able to see and being lost.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. I’m a sucker for stories like this. Throw in the fact that we’ve always had retrievers (one of them a golden) and our current yellow lab is named Lulu, and there is no way for me not to love this story.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Wow, I want to completely ignore the prank caller but really, WTF is wrong with some people?

    But hey, in the end we have what counts most of all. The whole family is back together, just when they were beginning to think all was lost.

    Great story Sheriff

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Le sniff!
    Poor pup! But she’s sounding good now.
    The sentiment in the words of your JohnKu is what kept Lulu alive. She waited for her people!
    Kudos to the community for helping with the vet bills!

    Liked by 1 person

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