samhexum

I saw that story about the Brazil woman on the news last night and I’m just beside myself that three people didn’t bother to check the rope. I mean who in the fuck does that?
How does no one bother to make sure it’s done right and how did on lookers not say hey wait stop! 

A woman fell to her death after staff allegedly forgot to attach a safety cord before she bungee jumped from a bridge in Brazil.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was thrown from the Ponte do Esqueleto, known as Skeleton Bridge, in the municipality of Limeira, São Paulo, while participating in a bungee jump on Saturday, June 13, according to the Brazilian outlets G1 and Folha de Pernambuco.
A video posted on social media showed the moment that de Freitas, 21, was carried by staff members toward the edge of the bridge and thrown over while wearing a helmet, per the outlets.
After she fell, a witness filming pointed to the rope left behind on the ground and shouted, "Guys, the rope!"

Witnesses alleged to Brazil's Military Police that de Freitas was thrown without a rope and fell about 40 meters (131 feet), per G1. A police helicopter was called for rescue, but de Freitas died at the scene.
De Freitas, a physical education and sports management graduate, had bought a guided tour with a rope jump from the top of the disused Skeleton Bridge, per G1.
"Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?" she allegedly joked on her Instagram Stories before the fatal fall, O Globo reported.
Her fiancé became ill when he arrived at the scene of her death and had to be taken to an emergency room, according to the outlet. De Freitas's social media profile was later taken down.
A total of six people have been arrested in connection with de Freitas' fatal fall, according to the outlet, per O Globo.  Three of them were arrested at the scene and charged with homicide with implied malice, which applies when someone intentionally commits an inherently dangerous act with conscious disregard, leading to death or serious bodily harm, G1 reported.
"It was a team there that wasn't regulated; they didn't even have authorization to be there," Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy reportedly told the outlet. "They ended up organizing this event, and," he contended, "this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim's jump."
The defendants' defense attorneys said that they are very experienced on the job and that this was the first fatality in years with the company, per G1. 
The Limeira City Council is filing a complaint against the Brazilian federal government following the incident, according to the outlet.
"It is necessary to determine responsibility for the lack of access control to a federal area that has presented known risks for years and still lacks the necessary protection measures," said the mayor of Limeira, Murilo Félix, per The Mirror U.K.
Brazil's Civil Police is investigating the incident.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Military Police and Civil Police for comment.

Additional information from The Mirror US:
A young woman hurled to her death in a bungee jump freak accident was still alive after hitting the ground, according to a nurse who desperately attempted to save her.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, plummeted to her death after being launched from an abandoned 130-foot Skeleton Bridge in Sao Paulo without a safety rope on Saturday. Rayza Dias, a nurse who rushed to her aid, told Brazilian television that the woman did not die instantly.
"I scraped my whole hand because there's a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down," Dias told Domingo Espetacular on Sunday, describing the enormous difficulty in reaching Rodrigues de Freitas after the fall. "It was all covered in mud. I kept going down, down, we walked all the way."
Dias revealed that the victim was breathing heavily and had a faint pulse as she desperately worked to provide life-saving treatment. "I even talked to her. I have a habit of joking and saying, 'Nobody dies on my shift.' And I told her, 'Duda, nobody dies on my shift.' Even though I wasn't on my shift there," she said, becoming visibly emotional.
"Duda" is a widely used term of endearment for a Portuguese woman named Eduarda or a man named Eduardo or Duarte. According to local reports and a video that has since gone viral, Rodrigues de Freitas had requested to be launched "airplane style," with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she stretched out her arms.
 
While I understand people seeking the ultimate adrenaline rush, NO WAY IN HELL is anyone throwing me "airplane style" off a bridge. Not even if I had a rope, a bungee cord, or a dozen steel cables with a parachute and actual wings attached would that happen.    ~Jeezopete

Hopefully you'll all forget it as quickly as I forgot about Close Encounters of the Worst Kind (other than the fact that I remember it being the worst 65 hours I ever spent in a movie theater).

A woman fell to her death after staff allegedly forgot to attach a safety cord before she bungee jumped from a bridge in Brazil.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was thrown from the Ponte do Esqueleto, known as Skeleton Bridge, in the municipality of Limeira, São Paulo, while participating in a bungee jump on Saturday, June 13, according to the Brazilian outlets G1 and Folha de Pernambuco.
A video posted on social media showed the moment that de Freitas, 21, was carried by staff members toward the edge of the bridge and thrown over while wearing a helmet, per the outlets.
After she fell, a witness filming pointed to the rope left behind on the ground and shouted, "Guys, the rope!"

Witnesses alleged to Brazil's Military Police that de Freitas was thrown without a rope and fell about 40 meters (131 feet), per G1. A police helicopter was called for rescue, but de Freitas died at the scene.
De Freitas, a physical education and sports management graduate, had bought a guided tour with a rope jump from the top of the disused Skeleton Bridge, per G1.
"Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?" she allegedly joked on her Instagram Stories before the fatal fall, O Globo reported.
Her fiancé became ill when he arrived at the scene of her death and had to be taken to an emergency room, according to the outlet. De Freitas's social media profile was later taken down.
A total of six people have been arrested in connection with de Freitas' fatal fall, according to the outlet, per O Globo.  Three of them were arrested at the scene and charged with homicide with implied malice, which applies when someone intentionally commits an inherently dangerous act with conscious disregard, leading to death or serious bodily harm, G1 reported.
"It was a team there that wasn't regulated; they didn't even have authorization to be there," Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy reportedly told the outlet. "They ended up organizing this event, and," he contended, "this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim's jump."
The defendants' defense attorneys said that they are very experienced on the job and that this was the first fatality in years with the company, per G1. 
The Limeira City Council is filing a complaint against the Brazilian federal government following the incident, according to the outlet.
"It is necessary to determine responsibility for the lack of access control to a federal area that has presented known risks for years and still lacks the necessary protection measures," said the mayor of Limeira, Murilo Félix, per The Mirror U.K.
Brazil's Civil Police is investigating the incident.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Military Police and Civil Police for comment.

The son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of numerous offenses, including two counts of rape, according to multiple outlets, including BBC and The Guardian.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has also been sentenced to a two-year restraining order against one of his victims.
Oslo District Court announced the verdict on the morning of Monday, June 15, nearly three months after the conclusion of Høiby's six-week trial, per the outlets. The BBC reported that Høiby was not in court for the verdict but joined the session via video link.
The Oslo District Court and the Royal House of Norway did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
According to The Guardian, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted Høiby of assaulting Nora Haukland, his former girlfriend, and the only victim to have been publicly named. He was ordered to pay Haukland and three other women compensation, while he was acquitted of two other charges of rape.
Prosecutors had called for Høiby to be given seven years and seven months in prison, the BBC reported, while his defense lawyers had called for a lesser term of 18 months.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Høiby was initially charged with 32 counts, including rape and sexual abuse, on Aug. 18, 2025, a year after being arrested for allegedly attacking a 20-year-old woman.
In total, he was facing 38 charges, including six counts of filming people without their consent, six counts of sexually offensive conduct without consent, attacking a former partner and violating a restraining order. He was also facing drug and driving offenses, per The Guardian.
Høiby is Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon, the future king of Norway. He is not in the line of succession to the throne like his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.
In a Jan. 28 statement, Høiby's stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, said, "Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case. It has an impact on the individuals, their families and all those who care about them. We understand that this is a difficult time for many of you, and we sympathize." 
The statement continued: "At the same time, it is reassuring to know that we live in a state governed by the rule of law. I am confident that those responsible for overseeing the proceedings will ensure that the trial is conducted in as orderly, proper, and just a manner as possible."
Earlier in June, the Royal House of Norway announced that Mette-Marit had officially been placed on the waiting list to undergo a lung transplant amid her "life-threatening" chronic lung condition.
The palace announced in October 2018 that Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung condition in which scarring of the lung tissue complicates breathing. In March, a spokesperson said that the royal's health has "deteriorated" and she has recently worn a nasal cannula, or oxygen breathing tube, for some public appearances. 
Are Holm, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oslo and Senior Consultant and respiratory specialist at Oslo University Hospital, said, "The progression of The Crown Princess's lung disease is serious. Following a comprehensive medical assessment, she has now been placed on the waiting list for patients who will undergo a lung transplant as soon as a suitable donor becomes available."

Two Pennsylvania teens are facing charges after prosecutors said they drove their friends on dangerous TikTok-inspired stunts, killing one and causing what are expected to be lifelong injuries to another.
While the district attorney’s office called out TikTok and Instagram by name, similar videos have appeared on other apps and social media sites as well.
A TikTok spokesperson said videos involving table and car surfing violate the company’s community guidelines and that 99.8% of them are removed proactively, and 92.4% of videos removed for violating the app’s rules are taken down before anyone views them.
The incidents were unrelated to one another and involved different stunts, but both happened in Northampton County, 85 miles west of New York City and 80 miles north of Philadelphia.
In one case, a 17-year-old died on June 1 while riding on top of a folding table tied to the back of his friend’s car, according to Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta.
Prosecutors said the friend recklessly drove too fast and “whipped the rider sitting on the table into another parked vehicle, resulting in [his] death,” Baratta’s office said in a statement.
The victim in that case was identified as David Nagy, 17, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported.
In the other case, a 19-year-old woman allegedly drove through a parking lot with her 20-year-old friend “surfing” on her trunk on March 18.
The woman on the trunk fell off and suffered “catastrophic head injuries that will be permanent in nature,” Baratta’s office said.
Neither teen is accused of “criminogenic thinking,” meaning they are not accused of planning to hurt their friends.
However, Baratta said, they are allegedly criminally culpable because the incidents were “so grossly negligent and reckless.”
“The families did have a closeness and a trust with these close friends — I mean they knew them very well,” Baratta told reporters at a news briefing attended by FOX 29. “That’s what’s so heartbreaking in this case.”
Baratta added that neither driver has a criminal record and neither victim’s family is “calling out for incarceration.”
As a result, he said his office won’t seek jail time for either of them if they agree to plea deals.
He said the families want to use the cases in the hope that other teens will make better decisions.
“These families are seeking accountability and hope that these charges will result in deterrence for other youth who may find themselves attracted to the thrill of mimicking dangerous social media challenges that have the potential to injure others,” his statement said.The dangerous stunts are not just limited to Pennsylvania. A similar car surfing stunt in Utah left a 15-year-old girl with a severe brain injury last year.

The son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of numerous offenses, including two counts of rape, according to multiple outlets, including BBC and The Guardian.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has also been sentenced to a two-year restraining order against one of his victims.
Oslo District Court announced the verdict on the morning of Monday, June 15, nearly three months after the conclusion of Høiby's six-week trial, per the outlets. The BBC reported that Høiby was not in court for the verdict but joined the session via video link.
The Oslo District Court and the Royal House of Norway did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
According to The Guardian, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted Høiby of assaulting Nora Haukland, his former girlfriend, and the only victim to have been publicly named. He was ordered to pay Haukland and three other women compensation, while he was acquitted of two other charges of rape.
Prosecutors had called for Høiby to be given seven years and seven months in prison, the BBC reported, while his defense lawyers had called for a lesser term of 18 months.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Høiby was initially charged with 32 counts, including rape and sexual abuse, on Aug. 18, 2025, a year after being arrested for allegedly attacking a 20-year-old woman.
In total, he was facing 38 charges, including six counts of filming people without their consent, six counts of sexually offensive conduct without consent, attacking a former partner and violating a restraining order. He was also facing drug and driving offenses, per The Guardian.
Høiby is Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon, the future king of Norway. He is not in the line of succession to the throne like his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.
In a Jan. 28 statement, Høiby's stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, said, "Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case. It has an impact on the individuals, their families and all those who care about them. We understand that this is a difficult time for many of you, and we sympathize." 
The statement continued: "At the same time, it is reassuring to know that we live in a state governed by the rule of law. I am confident that those responsible for overseeing the proceedings will ensure that the trial is conducted in as orderly, proper, and just a manner as possible."
Earlier in June, the Royal House of Norway announced that Mette-Marit had officially been placed on the waiting list to undergo a lung transplant amid her "life-threatening" chronic lung condition.
The palace announced in October 2018 that Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung condition in which scarring of the lung tissue complicates breathing. In March, a spokesperson said that the royal's health has "deteriorated" and she has recently worn a nasal cannula, or oxygen breathing tube, for some public appearances. 
Are Holm, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oslo and Senior Consultant and respiratory specialist at Oslo University Hospital, said, "The progression of The Crown Princess's lung disease is serious. Following a comprehensive medical assessment, she has now been placed on the waiting list for patients who will undergo a lung transplant as soon as a suitable donor becomes available."

The son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of numerous offenses, including two counts of rape, according to multiple outlets, including BBC and The Guardian.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has also been sentenced to a two-year restraining order against one of his victims.
Oslo District Court announced the verdict on the morning of Monday, June 15, nearly three months after the conclusion of Høiby's six-week trial, per the outlets. The BBC reported that Høiby was not in court for the verdict but joined the session via video link.
The Oslo District Court and the Royal House of Norway did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
According to The Guardian, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted Høiby of assaulting Nora Haukland, his former girlfriend, and the only victim to have been publicly named. He was ordered to pay Haukland and three other women compensation, while he was acquitted of two other charges of rape.
Prosecutors had called for Høiby to be given seven years and seven months in prison, the BBC reported, while his defense lawyers had called for a lesser term of 18 months.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Høiby was initially charged with 32 counts, including rape and sexual abuse, on Aug. 18, 2025, a year after being arrested for allegedly attacking a 20-year-old woman.
In total, he was facing 38 charges, including six counts of filming people without their consent, six counts of sexually offensive conduct without consent, attacking a former partner and violating a restraining order. He was also facing drug and driving offenses, per The Guardian.
Høiby is Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon, the future king of Norway. He is not in the line of succession to the throne like his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.
In a Jan. 28 statement, Høiby's stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, said, "Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case. It has an impact on the individuals, their families and all those who care about them. We understand that this is a difficult time for many of you, and we sympathize." 
The statement continued: "At the same time, it is reassuring to know that we live in a state governed by the rule of law. I am confident that those responsible for overseeing the proceedings will ensure that the trial is conducted in as orderly, proper, and just a manner as possible."
Earlier in June, the Royal House of Norway announced that Mette-Marit had officially been placed on the waiting list to undergo a lung transplant amid her "life-threatening" chronic lung condition.
The palace announced in October 2018 that Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung condition in which scarring of the lung tissue complicates breathing. In March, a spokesperson said that the royal's health has "deteriorated" and she has recently worn a nasal cannula, or oxygen breathing tube, for some public appearances. 
Are Holm, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oslo and Senior Consultant and respiratory specialist at Oslo University Hospital, said, "The progression of The Crown Princess's lung disease is serious. Following a comprehensive medical assessment, she has now been placed on the waiting list for patients who will undergo a lung transplant as soon as a suitable donor becomes available."

Watch America's Next Top Limbo-ist

Depot will do a lot of things if you just complain and ask.  I know someone who on purpose tears part of the box of anything they buy there and demands a 10% damaged discount.  They have always given it to him.  He has no shame and doesn't care.  

I have a Bosch dishwasher.  The top of the door has almost has as many buttons as a piano.  I am constantly pressing trying to remember which ones do what I want it to.  😂
 

About 20-25 years ago, I lived in a house with all Whirlpool appliances.  Several plumbers told me then they charged an additional $50 service fee to service a Whirlpool appliance, because they had specialized replacement parts that weren't generic to the other brands. 
I've had good experience with GE and LG appliances (all of them lasting over 18+ years in my current home).  I purposefully purchased appliances with as few sensors and moving parts that could break (no water/ice dispenser in the fridge to cause leaks, freezer beneath the refrigerator to reduce strain on the compressor, front loading washing machine to reduce strain during the spin cycle, fewest possible bells and whistles on the dishwasher, etc.).

Interesting.  Impressed.  

How about the rest of the world?
With the exceptions of: the family of Ms. Schedeen, the remaining cast members of Alf, and you!
BTC
🤡

Sanitation workers saved a dog from a trash can. Then one of them adopted him.
The dog was in dire condition when they found him, but right away accepted two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and belly rubs from the crew.
June 13, 2026.
Sanitation worker Nazir Nalls was emptying a garbage can into the back of his truck when it suddenly slipped off.
As garbage spilled onto the street, Nalls and his partner, who work for the city of Milwaukee, found a dog inside the can, buried beneath the debris.

“Who puts a live dog in a garbage can?” Nalls, 21, remembered thinking that day, April 15.
The dog was in rough shape. Painfully thin, he had patchy fur and overgrown nails. Nalls and his partner let him out and poured water into a bowl for him.
“You could see his entire skeleton,” Nalls said. “It was like he hadn’t eaten in days or maybe weeks.”
Nalls said they often see stray cats, or sometimes dead animals in the garbage. He had never seen a live dog.
Unsure what to do, they called their supervisor, Alex Halverson, who rushed over.
“He smelled pretty horrid given his settings,” Halverson, 34, said of the dog. “He was extremely malnourished and close to death. My guess is that he probably wasn’t going to see the next day.”
Halverson had packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch that day and decided the dog deserved both.
“I don’t think he chewed,” Halverson said. “He just inhaled them.”
The sanitation workers said they were quickly charmed by the dog. Given his circumstances, Halverson said, they expected him not to trust humans. Instead, he welcomed belly rubs and pats.
“He was wagging his tail,” Halverson said.
While petting the dog, Halverson decided to call him PJ because of the sandwiches.
“He wouldn’t bark or bite or anything,” Nalls said. “He was just following us around.”
From there, Halverson drove PJ to Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to get medical attention. Staff estimated that the dog was about 7 months old.
When PJ arrived, he was in dire condition, said Kate Hartlund, the shelter’s community engagement and volunteer coordinator. She said this is not the first time the shelter has received animals found in residential garbage cans, though it is uncommon.
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Hartlund said. “It’s super frustrating.”
PJ was dewormed, treated for malnutrition and given medication to help stabilize his digestive system. Staff cleaned his ears and lined his kennel with blankets.
“Any time a dog is that skinny, you have to assume that something is going on internally,” Hartlund said. “You never know what he ate out there trying to survive.”
Looking back, Halverson said, the rescue came down to an unlikely series of events. First, it happened to be garbage day — had it been a day or two later, the pup might not have survived. And then the can slipped off the truck, which doesn’t typically happen.
“The cart falling off was the biggest coincidence,” Halverson said. “And the fact that it was Nazir and Omar — I can’t speak for every crew, but not all of them would have shown the compassion that they did.”
They will probably never know how PJ ended up in that garbage can, Nalls and Halverson said. But for them, where he is now matters more.
“I couldn’t just let a living thing go without any kind of care, nurture and nourishment,” Nalls said.
A few days after he arrived at the shelter, PJ was placed with a foster family while he gained enough weight to be neutered and cleared for adoption. The day the sanitation workers found PJ, he weighed 10 pounds. He’s now up to 24.
Halverson, who has a rescue dog at home, said he and his wife had been contemplating adopting a second pet. He told staff at the shelter he was interested in PJ and called regularly for updates. Staff told him the dog was his if he wanted him.

On May 6, Halverson brought PJ home. The story was first reported by TMJ4 News.
“When the finders are interested in getting the dog, it’s always the best,” Hartlund said. “It was kismet. It just worked.”
Halverson said it didn’t take long for him and his wife to grow attached to PJ. “He is the friendliest dog I’ve ever been around, and he always has to be near you.”
PJ has made himself right at home.
“We had a bed for him in our bedroom and that lasted a night, and now he sleeps on our bed, on our pillows,” Halverson said, noting that PJ has also bonded with his canine sibling, Fiona. “I don’t think Fi wants us to know that she likes him, but we’ve caught them snuggling.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/06/13/milwaukee-sanitation-crew-find-dog-trash-can-one-worker-adopts-him/ [Paywall]
 

Woman, 96, enlists 150-pound dog to plant spring flowers: She points, he digs
A video of Barbara Collins and Chewy gardening together has amassed millions of views on social media.
April 15, 2026.
Barbara Collins, 96, stands in her garden and points with her cane toward a patch of soil.
“And dig,” Collins commands the 150-pound Newfoundland beside her.
The dog lowers his head and starts to dig with his paws exactly where she pointed. Collins plants a small bunch of pink flowers, then pats the soil into place with her hands. They repeat until all of her flowers — marigolds, Superbells, pansies and dianthus — are in the ground.
When the backyard garden is finished, Collins strokes the dog’s ears.
“You did a good job, Chewy,” she says to her granddaughter’s dog, who she considers her great-granddog.
The interaction on April 2 was captured by Collins’s granddaughter, Amy Savino, who lives next door in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and often films her grandmother with Chewy. Savino said Collins does not have the balance and strength to kneel and dig the holes on her own, and is grateful Chewy, 4, is there to help.
“They’re just best friends,” said Savino, 39. “He’s always had such a sweet, sweet bond with her.”
This was the first time Collins and Chewy gardened together, Savino said, but the dog has long been able to dig on command. Because he’s a skilled digger, Collins had the idea of gardening with Chewy.
Savino posted a video of their teamwork on social media, and it quickly amassed more than 11 million views and thousands of comments:
“Grandma’s not so little helper.”
“He did a fantastic job on his assignment for his Great Grandma!”
“I just know she feeds him premium deli meats.”
While Collins doesn’t feed Chewy deli meats, she does make him grilled cheese sandwiches and shares ice cream with him. She also bakes him dog-friendly cupcakes and fixes his broken toys.
“I think she wakes up and is like, ‘What can I do for Chewy today?’” said Savino, adding that the dog is named after Chewbacca from Star Wars.
Their videos often go viral, and Chewy has nearly 500,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram.
“I’m so in love with your precious grandma and Chewy. Their loving relationship is priceless. I can be feeling down and watching them changes everything for me,” someone commented on an Instagram video.
“Come on! Just when you think these two cannot be more precious … here we are,” another person chimed in.
Chewy sitting on Collins’s lap. Image Credit: Amy Savino
Savino said she began posting videos of Chewy on social media about two years ago, when her daughter asked to create a TikTok account. Savino told her she could post videos of the dog but not herself. People quickly took a liking to Chewy, and Savino soon began posting from the account as well.
“It became such a hobby for me,” said Savino, who lives with her husband and their three children, ages 15, 12 and 10.
Videos featuring Chewy with Collins tend to get the most attention from people.
“It reminds them of connection, a really pure, joyful connection,” Savino said.
Collins moved in with Savino’s parents 30 years ago when Collins’s husband died.
“I basically grew up with her,” Savino said.
In 2015, Savino and her husband bought the house next door to Savino’s parents’ home. They see Collins every day.
“She’s a priority,” Savino said of her grandmother. “If I don’t come over here, she will come to my house.”
Collins keeps active and credits her longevity to staying busy.
“She cooks, she cleans … she paints, she sews,” Savino said. “She’s hanging out with Chewy, interacting with us.”
Collins said spending time with her family — including Chewy — is the highlight of her days.
“He’s my baby dog. I love him very much,” she said. “I’m a lucky person.”
Savino said their bond has been strong since Chewy was a puppy.
Collins with Chewy when he was a puppy. Image Credit: Amy Savino
“I think he feels a sense of vulnerability with her,” she said. “He’s sweet. He’s slower to move. She’ll walk down the stairs, and he’ll wait until she’s down until he goes. It’s almost like he’s thinking ahead. … He would do anything for her.”
Although Chewy can at times be a high-maintenance dog — he is a notoriously picky eater — he is especially gentle and well-behaved with Collins.
“He likes to do whatever I want him to do,” Collins said. “He is always looking at me and smiling.”
Collins said she recently took up gardening and plans to spend many more afternoons in the yard with Chewy by her side.
“I wanted him to dig, and he just did exactly what I told him to do,” she said.
Several other videos of Collins and Chewy have gone viral, including clips of the pair doing an Easter egg hunt, playing in the snow, walking in the rain (with Collins holding an umbrella over Chewy) and opening Christmas presents.
Collins and Chewy celebrating Valentine’s Day together. Image Credit: Amy Savino
“I think it gives people joy,” Savino said. “She treats him like a grandchild.”
Collins said that the unexpected social media attention has been “kind of exciting” and that she’s glad people are touched by their relationship.

Sanitation workers saved a dog from a trash can. Then one of them adopted him.
The dog was in dire condition when they found him, but right away accepted two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and belly rubs from the crew.
June 13, 2026.
Sanitation worker Nazir Nalls was emptying a garbage can into the back of his truck when it suddenly slipped off.
As garbage spilled onto the street, Nalls and his partner, who work for the city of Milwaukee, found a dog inside the can, buried beneath the debris.

“Who puts a live dog in a garbage can?” Nalls, 21, remembered thinking that day, April 15.
The dog was in rough shape. Painfully thin, he had patchy fur and overgrown nails. Nalls and his partner let him out and poured water into a bowl for him.
“You could see his entire skeleton,” Nalls said. “It was like he hadn’t eaten in days or maybe weeks.”
Nalls said they often see stray cats, or sometimes dead animals in the garbage. He had never seen a live dog.
Unsure what to do, they called their supervisor, Alex Halverson, who rushed over.
“He smelled pretty horrid given his settings,” Halverson, 34, said of the dog. “He was extremely malnourished and close to death. My guess is that he probably wasn’t going to see the next day.”
Halverson had packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch that day and decided the dog deserved both.
“I don’t think he chewed,” Halverson said. “He just inhaled them.”
The sanitation workers said they were quickly charmed by the dog. Given his circumstances, Halverson said, they expected him not to trust humans. Instead, he welcomed belly rubs and pats.
“He was wagging his tail,” Halverson said.
While petting the dog, Halverson decided to call him PJ because of the sandwiches.
“He wouldn’t bark or bite or anything,” Nalls said. “He was just following us around.”
From there, Halverson drove PJ to Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to get medical attention. Staff estimated that the dog was about 7 months old.
When PJ arrived, he was in dire condition, said Kate Hartlund, the shelter’s community engagement and volunteer coordinator. She said this is not the first time the shelter has received animals found in residential garbage cans, though it is uncommon.
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Hartlund said. “It’s super frustrating.”
PJ was dewormed, treated for malnutrition and given medication to help stabilize his digestive system. Staff cleaned his ears and lined his kennel with blankets.
“Any time a dog is that skinny, you have to assume that something is going on internally,” Hartlund said. “You never know what he ate out there trying to survive.”
Looking back, Halverson said, the rescue came down to an unlikely series of events. First, it happened to be garbage day — had it been a day or two later, the pup might not have survived. And then the can slipped off the truck, which doesn’t typically happen.
“The cart falling off was the biggest coincidence,” Halverson said. “And the fact that it was Nazir and Omar — I can’t speak for every crew, but not all of them would have shown the compassion that they did.”
They will probably never know how PJ ended up in that garbage can, Nalls and Halverson said. But for them, where he is now matters more.
“I couldn’t just let a living thing go without any kind of care, nurture and nourishment,” Nalls said.
A few days after he arrived at the shelter, PJ was placed with a foster family while he gained enough weight to be neutered and cleared for adoption. The day the sanitation workers found PJ, he weighed 10 pounds. He’s now up to 24.
Halverson, who has a rescue dog at home, said he and his wife had been contemplating adopting a second pet. He told staff at the shelter he was interested in PJ and called regularly for updates. Staff told him the dog was his if he wanted him.

On May 6, Halverson brought PJ home. The story was first reported by TMJ4 News.
“When the finders are interested in getting the dog, it’s always the best,” Hartlund said. “It was kismet. It just worked.”
Halverson said it didn’t take long for him and his wife to grow attached to PJ. “He is the friendliest dog I’ve ever been around, and he always has to be near you.”
PJ has made himself right at home.
“We had a bed for him in our bedroom and that lasted a night, and now he sleeps on our bed, on our pillows,” Halverson said, noting that PJ has also bonded with his canine sibling, Fiona. “I don’t think Fi wants us to know that she likes him, but we’ve caught them snuggling.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/06/13/milwaukee-sanitation-crew-find-dog-trash-can-one-worker-adopts-him/ [Paywall]
 

Sanitation workers saved a dog from a trash can. Then one of them adopted him.
The dog was in dire condition when they found him, but right away accepted two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and belly rubs from the crew.
June 13, 2026.
Sanitation worker Nazir Nalls was emptying a garbage can into the back of his truck when it suddenly slipped off.
As garbage spilled onto the street, Nalls and his partner, who work for the city of Milwaukee, found a dog inside the can, buried beneath the debris.

“Who puts a live dog in a garbage can?” Nalls, 21, remembered thinking that day, April 15.
The dog was in rough shape. Painfully thin, he had patchy fur and overgrown nails. Nalls and his partner let him out and poured water into a bowl for him.
“You could see his entire skeleton,” Nalls said. “It was like he hadn’t eaten in days or maybe weeks.”
Nalls said they often see stray cats, or sometimes dead animals in the garbage. He had never seen a live dog.
Unsure what to do, they called their supervisor, Alex Halverson, who rushed over.
“He smelled pretty horrid given his settings,” Halverson, 34, said of the dog. “He was extremely malnourished and close to death. My guess is that he probably wasn’t going to see the next day.”
Halverson had packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch that day and decided the dog deserved both.
“I don’t think he chewed,” Halverson said. “He just inhaled them.”
The sanitation workers said they were quickly charmed by the dog. Given his circumstances, Halverson said, they expected him not to trust humans. Instead, he welcomed belly rubs and pats.
“He was wagging his tail,” Halverson said.
While petting the dog, Halverson decided to call him PJ because of the sandwiches.
“He wouldn’t bark or bite or anything,” Nalls said. “He was just following us around.”
From there, Halverson drove PJ to Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to get medical attention. Staff estimated that the dog was about 7 months old.
When PJ arrived, he was in dire condition, said Kate Hartlund, the shelter’s community engagement and volunteer coordinator. She said this is not the first time the shelter has received animals found in residential garbage cans, though it is uncommon.
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Hartlund said. “It’s super frustrating.”
PJ was dewormed, treated for malnutrition and given medication to help stabilize his digestive system. Staff cleaned his ears and lined his kennel with blankets.
“Any time a dog is that skinny, you have to assume that something is going on internally,” Hartlund said. “You never know what he ate out there trying to survive.”
Looking back, Halverson said, the rescue came down to an unlikely series of events. First, it happened to be garbage day — had it been a day or two later, the pup might not have survived. And then the can slipped off the truck, which doesn’t typically happen.
“The cart falling off was the biggest coincidence,” Halverson said. “And the fact that it was Nazir and Omar — I can’t speak for every crew, but not all of them would have shown the compassion that they did.”
They will probably never know how PJ ended up in that garbage can, Nalls and Halverson said. But for them, where he is now matters more.
“I couldn’t just let a living thing go without any kind of care, nurture and nourishment,” Nalls said.
A few days after he arrived at the shelter, PJ was placed with a foster family while he gained enough weight to be neutered and cleared for adoption. The day the sanitation workers found PJ, he weighed 10 pounds. He’s now up to 24.
Halverson, who has a rescue dog at home, said he and his wife had been contemplating adopting a second pet. He told staff at the shelter he was interested in PJ and called regularly for updates. Staff told him the dog was his if he wanted him.

On May 6, Halverson brought PJ home. The story was first reported by TMJ4 News.
“When the finders are interested in getting the dog, it’s always the best,” Hartlund said. “It was kismet. It just worked.”
Halverson said it didn’t take long for him and his wife to grow attached to PJ. “He is the friendliest dog I’ve ever been around, and he always has to be near you.”
PJ has made himself right at home.
“We had a bed for him in our bedroom and that lasted a night, and now he sleeps on our bed, on our pillows,” Halverson said, noting that PJ has also bonded with his canine sibling, Fiona. “I don’t think Fi wants us to know that she likes him, but we’ve caught them snuggling.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/06/13/milwaukee-sanitation-crew-find-dog-trash-can-one-worker-adopts-him/ [Paywall]
 

What an absolute delight!!! I just finished watching and can barely see to type through the tears born both of sadness and of joy!

Sanitation workers saved a dog from a trash can. Then one of them adopted him.
The dog was in dire condition when they found him, but right away accepted two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and belly rubs from the crew.
June 13, 2026.
Sanitation worker Nazir Nalls was emptying a garbage can into the back of his truck when it suddenly slipped off.
As garbage spilled onto the street, Nalls and his partner, who work for the city of Milwaukee, found a dog inside the can, buried beneath the debris.

“Who puts a live dog in a garbage can?” Nalls, 21, remembered thinking that day, April 15.
The dog was in rough shape. Painfully thin, he had patchy fur and overgrown nails. Nalls and his partner let him out and poured water into a bowl for him.
“You could see his entire skeleton,” Nalls said. “It was like he hadn’t eaten in days or maybe weeks.”
Nalls said they often see stray cats, or sometimes dead animals in the garbage. He had never seen a live dog.
Unsure what to do, they called their supervisor, Alex Halverson, who rushed over.
“He smelled pretty horrid given his settings,” Halverson, 34, said of the dog. “He was extremely malnourished and close to death. My guess is that he probably wasn’t going to see the next day.”
Halverson had packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch that day and decided the dog deserved both.
“I don’t think he chewed,” Halverson said. “He just inhaled them.”
The sanitation workers said they were quickly charmed by the dog. Given his circumstances, Halverson said, they expected him not to trust humans. Instead, he welcomed belly rubs and pats.
“He was wagging his tail,” Halverson said.
While petting the dog, Halverson decided to call him PJ because of the sandwiches.
“He wouldn’t bark or bite or anything,” Nalls said. “He was just following us around.”
From there, Halverson drove PJ to Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to get medical attention. Staff estimated that the dog was about 7 months old.
When PJ arrived, he was in dire condition, said Kate Hartlund, the shelter’s community engagement and volunteer coordinator. She said this is not the first time the shelter has received animals found in residential garbage cans, though it is uncommon.
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Hartlund said. “It’s super frustrating.”
PJ was dewormed, treated for malnutrition and given medication to help stabilize his digestive system. Staff cleaned his ears and lined his kennel with blankets.
“Any time a dog is that skinny, you have to assume that something is going on internally,” Hartlund said. “You never know what he ate out there trying to survive.”
Looking back, Halverson said, the rescue came down to an unlikely series of events. First, it happened to be garbage day — had it been a day or two later, the pup might not have survived. And then the can slipped off the truck, which doesn’t typically happen.
“The cart falling off was the biggest coincidence,” Halverson said. “And the fact that it was Nazir and Omar — I can’t speak for every crew, but not all of them would have shown the compassion that they did.”
They will probably never know how PJ ended up in that garbage can, Nalls and Halverson said. But for them, where he is now matters more.
“I couldn’t just let a living thing go without any kind of care, nurture and nourishment,” Nalls said.
A few days after he arrived at the shelter, PJ was placed with a foster family while he gained enough weight to be neutered and cleared for adoption. The day the sanitation workers found PJ, he weighed 10 pounds. He’s now up to 24.
Halverson, who has a rescue dog at home, said he and his wife had been contemplating adopting a second pet. He told staff at the shelter he was interested in PJ and called regularly for updates. Staff told him the dog was his if he wanted him.

On May 6, Halverson brought PJ home. The story was first reported by TMJ4 News.
“When the finders are interested in getting the dog, it’s always the best,” Hartlund said. “It was kismet. It just worked.”
Halverson said it didn’t take long for him and his wife to grow attached to PJ. “He is the friendliest dog I’ve ever been around, and he always has to be near you.”
PJ has made himself right at home.
“We had a bed for him in our bedroom and that lasted a night, and now he sleeps on our bed, on our pillows,” Halverson said, noting that PJ has also bonded with his canine sibling, Fiona. “I don’t think Fi wants us to know that she likes him, but we’ve caught them snuggling.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/06/13/milwaukee-sanitation-crew-find-dog-trash-can-one-worker-adopts-him/ [Paywall]
 

Conspiracies aside this is a very sweet short film, featuring Dorothy. 😉
https://youtu.be/CMqUMXn7y5g
 

well, good ol' youtube's algorithm suggested this to me.....no idea why, but part of the title ("amazing version") pulled me in......evidently produced about 1971 by New York's PBS station, channel 13 WNET, as part of a short-lived PBS show, "The Great American Dream Machine", according to a comment.....and, as always, those comments are fantastic.......
 
 

"Gene Shalit may not have liked Brokeback Mountain, but he loves his gay son and he is not homophobic."
  ~  Peter Shalit
Doctor and gay son of Gene Shalit in an interview with The Advocate
 
Gene Shalit showing real love and affection for his gay son, Dr. Peter Shalit:
https://www.advocate.com/politics/commentary/2006/01/06/gene-shalit-his-gay-son