Parents everywhere have been finding creative ways to celebrate their kids’ birthdays in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As Theo’s 7th birthday approached, his mom, Melody Joy Rensberger, decided to ask her community to help her grant her son’s wish. Theo, who has spina bifida, absolutely adores dogs of all sizes, shapes, and colors. All he really wanted was to meet as many of them as possible!
So Melody wrote two short posts on social media, asking if any of their neighbors would mind bringing their pups past their Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, home to wish the little guy a happy birthday on July 1.
She hoped maybe 15 or 20 dogs would show up so Theo could toss them a few treats and ask their human parents a few questions from a safe distance.
When his big day finally arrived, he waited outside to see who might come by. Instead of a handful of dogs, more than 100 appeared to say hello!
“These dogs did tricks for Theo (double high fives! Rolling over! Jumping for treats! Nose boops!) and brought him presents,” Melody wrote on Facebook.
Theo got to ask each dog questions, ‘What is its name, how old is he, where did you get him, how do you call him, did you save him?’ and got to tell everyone how excited he would be when we got to move into a ‘pet policy house’ (as opposed to the ‘no pet policy house’ we currently live in).
Not only that, but his mom said, “People drove from 45 minutes away.
They borrowed their neighbor’s dogs, met up with friends with dogs. People changed their work schedule so they could stop by. Delayed their kids’ naps. Those who didn’t have dogs brought a stuffed animal Pound Puppy for Theo to ‘adopt’ and others brought pup treats. People dressed up their dogs in party hats. People made birthday signs for Theo. Kids drew pictures. Strangers brought Theo PRESENTS.
The birthday boy and his family members were “blown away.”
One of Theo’s favorite visitors was a tiny Chihuahua named Pinky, who also happened to have spina bifida! Theo had plenty of questions for Pinky’s human about whether she uses a walker or a wheelchair like he does.
That’s when Pinky’s mom showed off the special purse she uses so the pup can go wherever her human goes. Just look at her peeking out of the purse!
The visitors brought so much joy to this family – and reminded them how it feels to be supported by a community that truly loves them!
“I am so grateful for the privilege of being surrounded by strangers who jump at the chance to care for my son,” Melody said.
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the big 7! It’s so wonderful to see people going out of their way to brighten someone else’s day!
Share this story to wish Theo a very happy birthday.
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