When four men moved to Bristol, UK, they were upset to find out that their landlord wouldn't let them get a dog. All of the men had grown up with dogs and missed the company of a canine—so when they saw their neighbor's friendly dog in the window, they concocted a sweet idea.
The flatmates wrote a letter to their neighbor offering their services as dogsitters or caretakers.
The letter read:
"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 our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do."
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
Concerned that the note might have come off slightly overpowering, they went on to explain that they just missed having a dog around. "The adult life is a struggle without one," they wrote. The letter was signed, "the boys from number 23."
Soon afterward, the boys were ecstatic to find a letter addressed to them with a paw stamped on the back. It was written on behalf of Stevie Ticks, the dog belonging to human Sarah Tolman.
"What a treat it was to receive your letter. I love meeting new people and it would be great if we can be friends. I must warn you that the price of my friendship is 5 x 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 whenever you fancy."
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
The boys were shocked and elated, finally getting to meet 2-year-old Stevie, who was adopted by Tolman and her partner Chris. They got to take her for a walk and she even spent an hour at their house for playtime. The boys have exchanged numbers with Tolman to schedule dog-walking services as needed.