The week's good news: February 10, 2022

Golden retrievers

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1. Book that 8-year-old author hid at his local library is a hit
2. Delivery woman who followed her instincts saves elderly man's life
3. Thousands of pups celebrated Golden Retriever Day in Golden, Colorado
4. Figure skater Karen Chen's mom made her Olympic free skate costume
5. Veterinarian bride and groom have their pet tortoise serve as ring bearer

By Catherine Garcia, The Week US

published 10 February 2022

1. Book that 8-year-old author hid at his local library is a hit

Dillon Helbig doesn't need a book deal, publicist, or marketing team — the 8-year-old self-published one copy of his 81-page illustrated book, The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis, slipped it onto a shelf at his local library, and now has people across the country clamoring to check it out. Dillon finished the book in mid-December, and did something that was "naughty-ish," he told The Washington Post; during a visit to the Ada Community Library's Lake Hazel Branch in Boise, he left his tome on a shelf in the children's section. A few days later, he told his mom, and by that point, The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis had already been read by several librarians, who loved the tale of an exploding star sending Dillon back to the first Thanksgiving and the North Pole. They asked his permission to make the book a permanent part of the library's collection, and now that dozens of people are on its waiting list, there's talk of turning The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis into an e-book.

Jessica Higgs trusted her intuition, and it didn't let her down. In a recent TikTok video, the Instacart driver from Georgia said she received an order from a woman who wanted groceries delivered to her elderly father. Instead of dropping the bags off on the porch as requested, Higgs brought them inside his house. "Something was telling me, 'No, you've got to help this man out,'" Higgs explained. The man looked sick, Higgs said, and she noticed a propane tank inside the house. She felt dizzy, and messaged the man's daughter to say she thought there might be a gas leak. The woman replied that she'd send her son over to investigate. The next day, Higgs received a five-star review from the woman, who said there was a leak and she "definitely saved my dad and my younger son's life!" This was a reminder that "if you see something, say something," Higgs said. "And I did, and I'm so happy I did, and I'm so happy that he can live a better life."

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It was cuteness overload Saturday in Golden, Colorado, when an estimated 2,000 golden retrievers gathered in the city for the annual Goldens in Golden event. National Golden Retriever Day is celebrated on Feb. 3, and every year around that time, Golden rolls out the red carpet for these adorable canines. The party took place in downtown Golden, with the dogs enjoying cups of whipped cream, chew toys, and ice cream made just for them. Many wore special outfits for the big day, accessorizing with bandanas and hats, and friendships were formed between dogs and owners alike. Golden retrievers are "very affectionate dogs," one attendee told 9 News, and they were "really leaning into the love today." Another declared that being at Goldens in Golden was "better than Disney World."

Olympic figure skater Karen Chen, who won silver alongside the rest of Team USA in the free skating team event on Monday, revealed it was her mother who made her bedazzled lavender costume. "She probably does 90 percent of the work and I do like 10 percent and by 10 percent I just tell her like, 'Oh, that looks good' or 'That doesn't look good,'" Chen, 22, said in a video posted by Team USA. "She does all the hard work and she puts like blood, sweat, and tears into it," Chen added. The athlete said her favorite detail is a tiny rhinestone butterfly near the bottom of the dress, saying her mom "strategically" placed the stones in a way "so it looks like a butterfly because my free program I'm skating to a 'Butterfly Lovers' Concerto' and so I just want to be a pretty butterfly on the ice."

When it came to choosing a ring bearer for their wedding, exotic animal veterinarians Ericka and Jay Johnson knew they had the right tortoise for the job. Ericka and Jay met 20 years ago while doing a wild tortoise survey, and are the proud owners of Tom Shelleck, a sulcata tortoise. They knew he would make a charming, albeit slow, ring bearer, and Ericka told SWNS that before the big day last month, they would "practice" with Tom Shelleck to see how long it would take him to walk down the aisle. The Johnsons wed at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens in Tucson, Arizona, and to keep the "always hungry" Tom Shelleck on track, strawberries were placed on the aisle, and he chowed down all the way to the altar. It took about three minutes for him to reach the officiant, who took the rings out of a basket attached to his shell. Tom Shelleck was "the center of attention," Ericka told SWNS, and the bride and groom were "proud of how he did."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.