Three Good News Stories

Hidden Gems That Demonstrate The Power Of Kindness And Generosity

(CBS) 
DOG'S BEST FRIEND

From a purely practical standpoint, of all the dogs at the Massachusetts chapter of the ASPCA, Stephanie Long's first choice was the worst choice: a clipped German shepherd named Nikki who needed a $5,000 double hip replacement.

The 6th-grade basketball forward had been begging for years to get a dog and although she really liked that sad, old shepherd, her mother, Tracy, says Stephanie was realistic.

Instead, the Longs ended up adopting an adorable boxer/Labrador mix.

But as Hartman finds out from Stephanie, the story was far from over. Stephanie says she just couldn't get that shepherd out of her head.

"We didn't adopt her because she had that so why would other people adopt her," Stephanie says referring to the shepherd's hip problem. Shaking her head, she adds that she was worried over the dog's fate.

Stephanie only had about $8 to her name. She would need another $4,900-plus to save Nikki. So she went door to door and eventually raised a total of $26 bucks.

"We knew we weren't going to collect like $5,000," Stephanie admits.

So what was her next move? Stephanie called the Salem Observer and the Eagle Tribune. Told that a newspaper article doesn't make any money, Stephanie replies, "If people find out about it, it will."

And it did.

Jill O'Connell from the MSPCA says Stephanie's one-girl publicity campaign raised the whole $5,000.

"People ended up going onto our Web site and making donations on our Web site and they just kept rolling in," O'Connell says and quips that Stephanie has a job in public relations waiting for her when she graduates.

Stephanie's goal never was to keep the dog for herself, she says. All she ever wanted was to help Nikki find a home, which she did.

Nikki now has a family, and a yard, and no doubt a friend for life in Stephanie Long.

Hartman reflects and concludes, a selfless child, an original idea and an appreciation of Tilapia.

These are the stories, Hartman says, that get tucked away in newspapers and never talked about on TV. But as we enter the holiday season, maybe it's important to remind ourselves of all that's worth celebrating.