Between wars, crime, the economy and climate change, the news can be a downer sometimes. Every once in a while, though, a story comes along that puts a smile on your face. Here are a few that warmed Tri-City hearts this year.
DOGGONE IT
Kareen Martel was thinking it might be time for her family's dog, Lobo, to go to a new home.
The wolf/husky mix had been a terrific family pet but its penchant for being around people didn't always jive with their busy schedule; Martel was constantly arranging doggy daycare or getting friends to dogsit and she wanted Lobo to have a better life, maybe on a farm.
Then, on Nov. 4, Lobo went missing.
A friend had taken the dog to work but didn't realize it had jumped out of the truck somewhere near Sprott Street and Canada Way in Burnaby until he was back at Martel's in Port Coquitlam. Martel posted a "lost dog" ad on Craigslist and four days later got a call saying Lobo had been spotted in New Westminster.
More than a week after the dog's disappearance, Lobo was seen in Coquitlam's Colony Farm. The Martel family scoured the park but couldn't find him.
The next morning, Martel was up at 6 a.m. to get ready for her day when she heard a familiar sound outside the front door.
Lo and behold, there was Lobo.
"He came in and smelled every inch of the house, checked out all the kids," Martel said, beaming.
Lobo was skinny and smelly but was otherwise fine - and home for good.
CALENDAR GIRLS
It started as the losing end of a bet but became a transformative experience for the Birds of McAllister.
The birds in question are a group of women aged 46 to 73, all clients of the Curves fitness centre on McAllister Avenue in Port Coquitlam, who posed in the buff for a 2012 calendar. They'd made a deal with a Curves in Port Alberni on who could raise the most for their local food bank; PoCo's Curves lost by 107 pounds.
"In the end, I think we won," said Kim Blake, PoCo's Curves manager (and the May feature photo).
Photographer Lynn Pepin of Classic White Photography donated her services, treating her subjects with care. She wanted them to be comfortable, after all, but still look like the beautiful, powerful women they are.
In the photos, the women are mostly naked but for some strategically placed props, and some have a health theme, such as one woman who had heart surgery and another one featuring a trio who survived breast cancer, wound together with a pink ribbon.
Proceeds from the $10 calendar go to Tri-City Transitions and an after-school club for girls. They're available at Curves (2239D McAllister Ave., PoCo); call 604-944-1303 for more information.
LITTLEMAN LANE
Michael Litram was a fixture in the Burquitlam Plaza neighbourhood for most of his too-short life; now his memory will endure in Littleman Lane.
The special-needs youngster, who suffered from grand mal seizures, often travelled the gravel lane from his house to Value Village, the park and to nearby schools.
For parents Ray and Donna Litram, Michael was a joy to be with. When he grew up, the doting parents couldn't call him "little" anymore, so they called him "Little Man," and everyone else did, too.
"It's hard to describe, actually, but everybody who knew him fell in love with him," Ray said.
But for Michael, growing up meant his time was short; in 2006, the 16-year-old passed away of a respiratory ailment at Canuck Place Children's Hospice.
Ray and Donna wanted to honour the five-year anniversary of his death and asked the city of Coquitlam for help. In September, city staff pitched in and put up the informal street sign on the lane, between Regan and Langside streets, that was paved when a new townhouse was built.
The parents expressed their gratitude to the city for Littleman Lane, calling it "a landmark," by making a donation to Canuck Place.
