Photo: TikTok
He wants to rescue a dog of his own, and people want to help him.
By Ethan Cotler — Written on May 07, 2023
Sometimes it feels like kind people are hard to come by but maybe we're just not looking hard enough.
A man, Jimmy Kellogg, or “Jimmy Darts,” posts random acts of kindness to the video-sharing app TikTok. In a recent video, he met an elderly dog-lover who gave out free treats to dogs. What at first seemed like an ordinary act of warmheartedness turned extraordinary when he found out how much money he had.
The man lost his dog and now hands out dog treats to random pups, despite only having 36 cents in his bank account.
“Are those dog treats?” Jimmy asked the man.
He sat on a curb with treats next to him and a water bottle between his legs, suggesting he sat outside for a while. After Jimmy asked if he sells them, he replied “No” and explained the heartwarming reason he gives them out for free.
“Dogs come down and visit me in the evening,” he said. “Because mine passed away. I don’t have one anymore.”
The man simply put that his act of kindness is nothing more than to be kind. “It makes my day,” he said.
He even is considering getting a pup of his own! But he wants to get a rescue, not purchase one. After Jimmy mentioned he had a dog himself, the man gave him two free dog treats, no questions asked. For his sweet gesture, Jimmy gave him $500 in cash! The man was understandably taken aback. And his response showed that he was truly deserving of the money.
“Can you afford to do that, man?” he asked.
He demonstrated that he thinks about others over himself, always, which was truly inspiring. In addition to that, he shared that he was in a tough spot at the moment. So, the cash was a bigger help than Jimmy could have anticipated.
“You have no idea how desperately I needed this right now. I was down to 36 cents in my bank account,” he said. With a big smile on his face, he extended his hand and gratitude to Jimmy for the help. “Thanks a lot, man,” he said.
People took to the comments to applaud the kind man.
Jimmy has a donation link set up to fund his random acts of kindness to strangers. But people wanted to chip more than $500 for the dog-loving man.
“Can we please help him out more than that $500?” one person asked. Some saw how much he loved dogs and thought he deserved one of his own. “Can we get him a rescue?” another added.
Many more people wanted to get him a dog of his own! According to MetLife, despite rescuing a dog from a shelter being significantly cheaper than getting one from a breeder, there are still fees ranging from $50 to $500. At the moment, Jimmy has offered no way of reaching or donating more money to the man. But he claims that all the donations go to people in his random acts of kindness videos, not taking any for himself.
As we get older, our friends can dwindle in number, and as our family members get older, they lead more busy lives. It can feel isolating for many. A 2019 Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) survey found that over a third of Americans over 65 live alone. And 80% of pet owners rely on their pets to not feel lonely. So, sometimes the best gift a person can get is a furry friend!
Ethan Cotler is a writer living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news and human interest stories.