The Man Who Saved the Puppy in a Bag
John found a tied-up bundle by the road. Inside was a starving, sick puppy.
“Someone had tossed it away like trash.” He took it home, where his dog Barbara welcomed it. John named the puppy Tiko.
Though John lived above an auto shop and struggled financially, he remembered what it felt like to be unwanted. The vet warned Tiko wouldn’t make it — “parvo, malnourishment, infections” — but John simply said, “Do what you have to do.”
He sold his guitar, skipped meals, and took night shifts to pay for care. Slowly, Tiko recovered, Barbara thrived, and laughter returned to the repair lot.
A viral video of Tiko led to help from a rescue group. They paid John’s vet bills and shared his story.
Later, John said, “I had little to give — but space in my heart. That was enough.” Saving Tiko gave his own life new meaning.
