Blood Boiling
He felt his blood boil. He couldn't believe the owners could have been so careless. He knew he could report them for this, but he didn't want the dog getting put in a shelter. He'd find his own way of getting them back.
He looked around to make sure no one was looking and then called the Dachshund. The dog had bonded with him over the weeks and came running over. But what he did next would change the dog's life forever.
Jeffrey Edwards
Jeffrey Edwards was an ordinary man living on his own in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. He worked as a mailman for a postal delivery service.
He looked forward to the small things in life. He enjoyed delivering mail and remembering the names of his regulars. There were the Johnsons on 9th Avenue and the Mendozas on Hamilton Drive. But of all the friendly people he knew, there was one family in particular that he had come to like more than the others.
The Denson's
The Denson's were Jeffrey's favorite family to deliver to. But the reason may be surprising. It wasn't the family itself that he liked, but rather their dog. The irony wasn't lost on him - a mailman who had a good relationship with a dog.
Every day on his route, he would see the little Dachshund on their front lawn. He would wag his tail excitedly and take the mail to his owner's front door.
A Bond Developed
As time went on, Jeffrey grew fond of the little dog. He decided to buy dog treats, and from then on, he would give him one of them every time he delivered their mail. He examined his nametag and noticed that his name was Buttons.
Buttons were the friendliest dog in the neighborhood. The Johnsons had a rottweiler that often barked at him, so this was a nice change of pace. But he started to notice something odd.
Something Different
Jeffrey noticed that the little dog wasn't so little anymore. Soon the Dachshund had doubled in size! Something was clearly wrong. But he had no idea what it could have been.
Was it the biscuits that he had been feeding him? He decided to cut the biscuits out of their visits and see if that would help his weight gain. But after three weeks of not feeding him anything, he was shocked at the results.
Something Wasn't Right
When Jeffrey came back to greet his furry friend, he not only noticed that the canine was still growing but also seemed like he had way less energy than he used to. He wasn't the dog he had come to know.
Buttons stopped enthusiastically greeting him or grabbing the mail and taking it in for his owners. He would just sit on the lawn and lazily look at him. Something wasn't right.
Changes
It was clear that Buttons had gone through some changes over the past few weeks. The poor Dachshund had gone through dramatic changes, including some that were very concerning.
Buttons were now triple his old body weight, and Jeffrey felt like he needed to help out the little guy. He decided to investigate further. But once he snooped around, he wished he hadn't.
Snooping Around
Jeffrey decided to investigate why the dog had gone through so many changes. He parked his van and walked up the walkway towards the back of the house. He didn't want to get spotted. Otherwise, he might get into trouble.
After making it to the back of the house, he saw a kennel where Buttons presumably sleep. And then he saw a dog bowl. But he had no idea what would happen once he investigated further.
Underneath the Bowl
Jeffrey noticed something strange about the food bowl, so he decided to tip it over. But underneath, he saw a pile of food covered in ants. We walked back to the front and looked at their front door, and that's when he noticed something else peculiar.
He bent down and picked the white papers up. They were wet from sitting out for too long. Then it finally dawned on him.
Away
The papers he picked up were the same letters he had been delivering for the last month. The owners clearly weren't around. He got angry. The fact that they had left him alone and then just piled a bag's worth of food into a bowl in the backyard.
Jeffrey knew enough about pets to know that you couldn't just leave your animals alone. At the very least, they should have gotten a sitter. He knew he would make them regret it.
Careless Owners
He felt his blood boil. He couldn't believe the owners could have been so careless. He knew he could report them for this, but he didn't want the dog getting put in a shelter. He'd find his own way of getting them back.
He looked around to make sure no one was looking and then called the Dachshund. The dog had bonded with him over the weeks and came running over. But what he did next would change the dog's life forever.
Taking Him To The Vet
Jeffrey took the poor dog to the vet to see what was wrong with him. Thankfully, once there, they were understanding about the situation. Even though he wasn't his dog, he wouldn't get into trouble for taking him in.
They started their examination to figure out why Buttons was so lethargic and big. Once they finished taking a look at him, they gave Jeffrey the news.
Overfeeding
They explained that Buttons was big just because he had eaten too much of his food too quickly. This is often when owners leave their animals alone with a lot of food.
Animals don't know how to portion and will often eat as much as they can as quickly as they can. It was also the reason why he was so tired all of the time. Now that Jeffrey knew the cause, he could help the dog out.
Owners
The vet got into contact with the owners and told them about the trip to the vet. They came home from their vacation early and thanked Jeffrey for taking him to the vet. Jeffrey told them about the bond he had made with the dog.
He told them that he would continue to drop off their mail and check in on Buttons every week. It was a subtle way of telling them that he would be keeping an eye out for any trouble.
Good Relationships
Thankfully, there didn't have to be any trouble, and the family did seem genuinely sorry about the whole circumstance. They promised never to let it happen again, and Jeffrey even got to know the family over time.
It was a happy ending for everyone involved. Buttons got to keep seeing his favorite mailman, and Jeffrey got to make sure he was okay.