Teacher’s rescue dog couldn’t walk because of a tumor—an unexpected help came from her fifth-grade student
The most novel solutions might come from the most unexpected sources. One fifth-grade teacher, Dana Holden, hadn't expected that her rescue dog, Leonard's, problem would be solved by one of her fifth-grade students. Holden had been told that some form of tumor was growing inside Leonard's body and pressing against his spine. Because of that, the dog couldn't walk and was struggling to get around on his own. So when an 11-year-old Emmett Rychner noticed the dog's condition, he was determined to do something, per Land of 10,000 Stories from Kare 11.
"We hit the jackpot when we got him. He loves to snuggle," Holden shared about her then 9-year-old dog, Leonard. "They believe some sort of tumor is growing, pushing on the spine. His leg is just not getting the signal." The teacher didn't know if she would ever find a solution for Leonard's issue. But then her laptop screensaver, which was a picture of Leonard, caught the attention of her class. They eventually got to meet him at some point. "They were so excited. Lenny the celebrity." His legs drew Rychner's attention and the boy really wanted to help Leonard. "I said, Oh my gosh, I need to make a wheelchair for the dog," Rychner remarked. "The entire class agreed. Oh my god, I need to make that." The boy immediately got to work after that.
Rychner had previously dabbled in quite a few inventions, but this would be his biggest achievement if he could make it happen. "He was just the sweetest dog and I got to do something to help him." Holden felt that the boy had a sense of empathy in him for quite some time. Rychner made one design, but it simply wouldn't work. It was neither big enough nor long enough to accommodate Leonard's legs. "He looked sad at first. I was worried," Anika, the boy's mom, expressed. "Then it was, how am I going to do this, how to make it better," Bryan, the dad, added. Soon enough, Rychner was able to make a functional design that could help Leonard.
The excited teacher arrived at Rychner's house with her dog, hoping to get Leonard his "wheels." The boy greeted the dog at the door and then took him inside to test the wheelchair. It turned out to be the perfect solution for Leonard, who could run around easily now. "I just loved finally seeing him walk," Rychner pointed out. Leonard's vet had previously recommended a wheelchair company to Holden, but she was confident in Rychner's abilities. "I was like, 'I got somebody I know.'" The boy spent quite some time playing with Leonard, who looked comfortable and happy as he ran around in his new wheelchair.
Many people appreciated the boy's empathy and efforts in the comments section of the video. @antm64 wrote, "This young boy is going to go places! Empathy and compassion can't be taught...Emmett was born with the amazing capacity to help others. Well done!" @nw101971 commented, "He may have a child’s body, but he’s obviously a very bright young man with a keen mind and a heart of pure gold. When he’s older, there will be a lot of engineering companies wanting to hire him." @kentiy1 remarked, "He not only has a kind soul and empathy but a great talent in engineering! What a sweet and creative child."
More on Amplify
Woman thought she lost pet dog in house fire—firefighter's TV lesson brought dog back to life