Rescue dog visits second graders who helped save his life

Ryker and the second graders who helped him. — (Image credit: Screenshot/KSNTNews)

Within a day of hearing about a dog that needed $400 for surgery, a second grade class at Shawnee Heights Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, went above and beyond that goal, raising $450.

Last month, an Australian Shepherd named Ryker was found abandoned with a broken leg, and brought to the Helping Hands Humane Society in Topeka. The organization posted a video of Ryker on its Facebook page, and requested donations for a surgery to amputate his leg. After the students saw the video they went home, where they raided their piggy banks and asked for money from family and friends, and returned to school the next day with $450.

Last Friday, Ryker stopped by the school to surprise the students, bringing with him individualized thank you notes for every child. They squealed when he entered the classroom, with one student telling KSNT, "I felt like I was going to cry because I was so happy." Catherine Garcia

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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.