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Omaha Steve

(99,686 posts)
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 07:57 AM Jan 2013

Homeless Man Gives ‘Kiss of Life’ to Bunny Thrown Off Bridge


http://www.care2.com/causes/homeless-man-gives-kiss-of-life-to-bunny-thrown-off-bridge.html


by Laura Simpson
January 15, 2013
7:00 pm

Every year, pet guardians perish in desperate attemtps to save their drowning pets. It’s a scenario that unfolds all too often. But recently there was a rare bright spot in the realm of watery accidents as justice was handed down in the case of a man who threw a pet bunny into a river, forcing a homeless man to jump in to save a life.

Meet John Byrne, The Homeless Man Ready To Die Saving His Pet



John Byrne has beeen living on the streets of Dublin since the age of 14. He is one of approximately 5,000 homeless people in Ireland at the moment, and for John, home isn’t measured in square feet or granite countertops. Instead home takes the shape of a small brown rabbit and a Jack Russell Terrier who show him what it means to be a family.

One July morning, John was begging on the O’Connell Bridge when 18-year-old Gary Kearney took him by surprise. Kearney grabbed Barney right out of John’s arms and hurled him over the bridge and into the river below.

FULL story at link.



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Homeless Man Gives ‘Kiss of Life’ to Bunny Thrown Off Bridge (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jan 2013 OP
Well, there's the morning feelgood today? SCVDem Jan 2013 #1
Some people The Wizard Jan 2013 #3
Touching video on its own, but add music and... narnian60 Jan 2013 #2
Anything for a friend MrScorpio Jan 2013 #4
That just made me cry, silentwarrior Jan 2013 #5
Bunny saved Shankapotomus Jan 2013 #6
It was his bunny. iamthebandfanman Jan 2013 #7
This is from last year: Homeless Man Saves Rabbit from Liffey – Honoured and Offered Job RiverSong Jan 2013 #8
That was a tearjerker. RebelOne Jan 2013 #9
This gave me chills. damnedifIknow Jan 2013 #10
 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
1. Well, there's the morning feelgood today?
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 08:45 AM
Jan 2013

Page 1, above the fold.

We have a dwarf bunny member of the family named George.

We've got his back from hawks and cats but who expects a depraved piece of crap human to toss this harmless thing overboard?

Toss Kearney off the bridge and then lock him up in an animal hospital for a year or so.

Little Dude needs to learn some respect.

narnian60

(3,510 posts)
2. Touching video on its own, but add music and...
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 09:10 AM
Jan 2013
Hope the man at least got some dry clothes & some $ from someone who was watching this happen.

silentwarrior

(250 posts)
5. That just made me cry,
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 10:45 AM
Jan 2013

for the boy, his rabbit and his dog.

He is still out on the streets?

After what he did to risk his own life for his beloved pet,
I am saddened to hear the boy has still live on the streets.

Why cant he be given a home?

iamthebandfanman

(8,127 posts)
7. It was his bunny.
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 12:07 PM
Jan 2013

And it lives on the street with him.

But yes, its sad hes still on the streets after all of this especially..

if you had read the story, youd have seen that some dickhead grabbed his rabbit and threw it off the bridge (just another example of how badly people treat homeless people).

 

RiverSong

(35 posts)
8. This is from last year: Homeless Man Saves Rabbit from Liffey – Honoured and Offered Job
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 12:59 PM
Jan 2013

Not that that makes it any less moving.

In this article the man had to turn down the job due to distance but I hope he was offerred another or maybe he made the move afterall and took his 'family'.

snip-
The homeless man who heroically rescued his rabbit from the Liffey last week was yesterday honoured by the Animal Rights Action Network.

John Byrne, 38, who has lived on Dublin’s streets for the past 22 years, was sitting on O’Connell Bridge when an 18 year old passer-by flung the rabbit into the water. The man has since been charged with a public order offence and animal cruelty.

Mr. Byrne did not think twice about jumping into the river to save his beloved pet as a crowd of onlookers gathered. He and Barney the rabbit were then brought to safety by the Dublin Fire Brigade.

A ceremony was held at the scene yesterday, where Mr. Byrne was honoured with a compassionate citizen award by the animal welfare charity. ARAN director, John Carmody, presented him with a scroll and said of Mr. Byrne, “As I watched the footage of this helpless man saving the life of a helpless animal, tears fell from my eyes and the footage sent a shiver down my spine for such a touching act of kindness.”

http://www.pets.ie/blog/1442_homeless-man-saves-rabbit-from-liffey-%E2%80%93-honoured-and-offered-job.html

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
9. That was a tearjerker.
Wed Jan 16, 2013, 05:09 PM
Jan 2013

I may have done the same thing and jumped into the river. I have had pet rabbits and they are the best pet ever other than dogs. I am glad that the idiot that threw the rabbit in the river was arrested.

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