Airman Reunites With Military Dog

Senior Airman Alex Jones met a military working dog named Max while stationed in Korea in 2020. The two weren’t assigned to work together, but they formed a close bond, and Alex spent years waiting for the day Max would retire from service.

That day finally came. Nonprofit Paws of War arranged Max’s return to the United States, with the organization’s director of animal welfare flying to South Korea and driving the 8-year-old German shepherd to North Carolina for a reunion ceremony on May 22.

Alex said he stayed up late the night Max arrived, unsure how it would go. When the kennel door opened, Max sprinted toward him and knocked into his leg. At the ceremony in Sneads Ferry, Paws of War presented Max with its Hero with a Heart award for his years of service.

“You always remember the good dogs,” Alex said. “I look forward to giving him the relaxing and rewarding retirement that he deserves.“

Children’s Hospital Hosts Prom Night

Seattle Children’s Hospital transformed into an Enchanted Forest recently, hosting its first prom for dozens of teen patients who have missed milestone events like prom during long hospital stays.

Invitations were delivered by the hospital’s facility dogs, Scarlett and Nash, who held signs reading “Woof you go to prom with me?” in a video shared on the hospital’s Instagram. Volunteers and local organizations donated formalwear, hair and makeup services, a DJ, a photo booth, and a light-up dance floor. A mini therapy horse named Bass also made an appearance.

“Some of our kids have been here for years, and we wanted them to have this opportunity,” the hospital’s Child Life team said. The hospital plans to continue the prom next year.

Mister Rogers Stamp Makes a Comeback

The Mister Rogers stamp is coming back. The U.S. Postal Service announced that the beloved 2018 Forever stamp won its Stamp Encore contest, beating 24 other designs by more than 40,000 votes out of over 500,000 cast.

The contest was part of the Postal Service’s 250th anniversary celebration. The original stamp, which features Fred Rogers in his red cardigan alongside puppet King Friday XIII, had an initial print run of about 12 million and sold out within weeks of its 2018 release. “Mister Rogers really took us by surprise,” said USPS chief processing officer Isaac Cronkhite.

The reissued stamp and a new four-image souvenir sheet are on sale exclusively at the Boston 2026 World Expo through May 30, and will be available at post offices nationwide and online starting June 1.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Feel Good Flyover Podcast. Clicking the link will take you directly there:

➤ Children’s hospitals are bringing in specially trained dogs to ease fear and motivate young patients to keep moving. (Listen Now)

➤ A great horned owl found covered in concrete has regained its silent flight after a rare feather transplant. (Hear Story)

➤ A Boise senior living director is taking residents aboard a passenger bike built for people who can no longer ride on their own. (Hear Details)

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➤ Votes for “Dog Mayor” will be cast alongside the real municipal election in a Canadian town this October. Canine candidates Gus and Koko are already campaigning on platforms like universal pet health care, more fire hydrants, and pet-friendly emergency sirens. (See Photos)

➤ In New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, a rare white six-petaled wildflower has been confirmed as an entirely new species, earning the name Triantha x novacaesariensis, a bloom found nowhere else on Earth. (See Flower)

➤ After getting shot in January in an incident that left him paralyzed, an 18-year-old North Carolina teen was told he had less than a 1% chance of walking again. Months of grueling therapy later, he rose to his feet and crossed the stage at his high school graduation. (Watch Video) 

➤ At 101-years-old, an Ontario woman is encouraging fellow seniors to lift weights alongside her twice a week, even after recovering from a broken ankle and pneumonia. The former golfer swears staying active is her secret to longevity. (More)

➤ After surgery saved the remaining sight in her left eye, a woman in England began crocheting handmade “wellbeing blankets” for newborns at the hospital that saved her sight. Each two-foot blanket takes her nearly three days to complete by hand. (See Photos)

➤ An Iowa high school student is being hailed as a hero after jumping a 6-foot fence to save a woman from her burning home on Mother’s Day. He and an Amazon driver urged her that collecting belongings was no longer an option and to leave the home immediately. (More)

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Astro the rescue dog is training at South Padre Island to help rescue swimmers caught in rip currents this summer.

video via angusbarn – Instagram

I’ve just been accepted for a senior position at the Old McDonald’s Farm.

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“I get so much satisfaction knowing the blankets are going to good homes. They are comfort blankets for little people because babies are not babies for long.”

— Eliz Sandalls, after crocheting more than 100 baby blankets for newborns at Bradford Royal Infirmary.