Woman asks neighbor to watch dogs – then receives a letter from him that reduces her to tears

Life these days can be incredibly taxing and demanding. Reaching out for help is something everyone should be prepared to do for their own mental well-being. A woman decided to do exactly that.

She asked her neighbor for help and in return, got a letter that she never expected. Keep reading to learn more…

A woman had to go away on a trip and needed pet care. Her three dogs, Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer, needed someone to look after them. While arranging care for one dog usually is not a big issue, arranging care for three dogs is an entirely different ball game.

She was desperate and decided to ask her retired neighbor for help, and surprisingly, he agreed!

When she returned from her trip, she arrived at an envelope that had been slid under her door. Inside the envelope was a letter that she later shared on Reddit because of how unbelievable it was.

The letter was simple. It started by wishing her a good afternoon. It then got to the point, “This letter is about your vacation two weeks ago, and how you let me babysit Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer. I just wanted to give you a letter of gratitude,” it began.

“As you know, I’m an old man. You don’t see me outside often anymore, as these joints aren’t as lively as they used to be. To add to that, two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, my dad got diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. After his death, I was left alone in my home. I don’t have a wife or kids. I could go to sleep one day and never wake up again. Every day is just sitting around and wondering what I have done for this world.

Until I met Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer.

Your pets are the cutest, funniest, and most troublesome (In a good way, don’t worry, they didn’t mess up my house too much!) individuals. They gave me the motivation to restart my life again. I started waking up early in the mornings. I began to take walks outside with your pets for the first time in years. Every 10 minutes, whenever I felt sad for a second, they would bark or rub against my leg and make me laugh.

The highlight of their stay was when I took them to the park. It was the longest time I’ve spend outside in a while. It didn’t just bring back pet interaction, I also met other people, started talking, and made friends with a handful of fellow human beings. I was so happy to finally be able to talk with friends again, interact with others, and feel like I’m part of the human race.

I realize I sound very existential right now, but I’m telling the truth. It’s nice knowing that I’m doing something for someone, even if it’s my neighbor.

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I adopted two dogs soon after. (You may have been hearing noise from my home, pardon them!) I now take regular walks to the park with them and talk with friends I made there. Anyways, I’d just like to say: thank you so much. You brought back meaning to my life. And that’s all that matters.