Couple 3D prints gifts after 'pets' stolen from 12-year-old with autism
Sam will never forget the day she first noticed the bunny she named Soap.
"[I called her that] because I found him in the soap aisle," Sam explains with a laugh.
Seeing as the rabbit lawn ornament was in the wrong aisle, the then eight-year-old and her mom, Tina, searched all over the store for his family.
"And when we couldn’t find another bunny she’s like, 'Mom! We can’t leave him,'" Tina recalls. "So we had to buy Soap."
It was similar with Chonkers. Sam noticed that the blue bird ornament was the last one on the shelf and couldn’t bare for her to be lonely. So Sam created a home for Chonkers and Soap along the railing of their front deck. A cement pig — that was named Pig when Sam was born — joined them.
"Instant serotonin!" Sam giggles, describing the feeling of being greeted by the trio every day.
"Sam is autistic," Tina explains how her now 12-year-old daughter pets the lawn ornaments and spends time with them daily. "They’re her comfort."
So you can image how Sam felt when she arrived home the other day to find that — after years of having her "pets" be part of her daily routine — they were gone.
"When she realized her friends were missing, it was heartbreaking," Tina says fighting back tears. "These were things she loved."
Sam put up a sign on the front lawn requesting her pets' return. It said, "No questions asked" and, "just please put them back." Sam signed it with a drawing of a crying face.
"Who takes them away from a kid?" Sam asks. "It’s like taking a dog away."
Sam says she’s hoping someone will return her pets because, like a "real" dog, they can’t be replaced.
Tina also shared Sam’s plea for her pets with a post on social media. It was noticed by Jeremy from Praticus Creations.
"We all know what it’s like to have our day uprooted all of a sudden," Jeremy says. "So we tried to help."
Jeremy designed some digital creatures on the computer, before creating actual ones with a 3D printer. Then his wife, Deanna, spent the rest of the weekend bringing them to life with paint.
"We really hope we can recreate what [Sam] had going for her before they were stolen," Jeremy says.
This morning, Jeremy surprised Sam with a fox, raccoon, and dragon.
"Oh this is so cool! This is so cute!" Sam squeals before smiling at each one. "Thank you!"
Jeremy replies with an enthusiastic "You’re welcome!" Obviously pleased that he and Deanna’s gift was so well received.
Tina says she couldn’t be more grateful for their act of kindness and to the other strangers who’ve reached out to help.
"Even though there are bad people," Tina says she’s learned "there are way more good people."
Meanwhile, Sam is not giving up hope that one day Soap, Chonkers, and Pig will return and meet the new pets she’s named Tails, Seuss and Moonshine.
"Honestly this feels good," Sam says before kneeling on the lawn to play with her new friends. "[On a scale of one to 10] it’s 1,000!"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The World Health Organization said on Friday that the current overall public health risk posed by H5N1 bird flu virus is low, but for those with exposure to infected birds or animals the risk of infection is considered low-to-moderate.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.