When one man started drawing goofy pictures of people’s pets for a bit of fun, he had no idea that he would soon go viral. Nor did he know that he’d end up raising a lot of cash for charity in the process!

A Thank-You Card

Phil Heckels shared his first picture on social media around six weeks ago. The picture was of the family dog, in the hopes that his son would make thank-you cards. He captioned the picture with a joke price of £299 for anyone that wanted to buy it. However, he was shocked when people started messaging him asking for goofy pictures of their own pets.

Friends and Family

At first, just Heckels’ friends and family messaged the reluctant artist, asking if he’d draw their own pets. He had seven requests by the end of the first day, including everything from a yawning cat to a pretty parrot. The requests inspired Heckels to start his own page called ‘Pet Portraits by Hercule.’ Little did he know how quickly it would take off, though.

Free Portraits

Once he’d set up his new page, he explained to people that they could have a free portrait of their pets in return for a donation to Turning Tides, a local charity helping the homeless. The requests came flooding in and soon his pictures were going viral across social media. The fundraiser for Turning Tides has now brought in over $23,000 and Heckels explained he has over 1,000 requests for goofy pictures still to complete.

What started off as a bit of fun has turned into an incredible fundraiser for a worthy cause. We have a feeling Phil Heckels might want to start writing his own thank-you cards to all of those who have got involved with the project so far.

This is the story of Dave Jones and his Italian girlfriend. The adventurers probably didn’t know that they would end up as two of the luckiest hitchhikers ever. The couple was hiking the John Muir Trail in California when they suddenly ran out of food.

Hunger Games Turned Into a Cop Ride

It wasn’t until Dave and his girlfriend ran out of food in the California mountains when they decided to hike down and re-supply. They were near Independence and needed a ride to the larger town of Bishop, which is over 40 miles away.

Hitchhikers are allowed to hitch according to the state of California, as long as they’re not standing in a roadway. The couple wasn’t familiar with the local laws on hitchhiking, but this seemed like their only option to get supplies, so they gave it a try.

The Luckiest Hitchhikers Ever

When a police cruiser pulled over, Dave and his girlfriend thought they were in real trouble. However, when Addam Otten of the highway patrol in Bishop stepped out of his vehicle, they quickly realized their luck. Turns out, the officer offered them a ride but that wasn’t the only kind thing he did for the hitchhikers.

Not only did officer Addam Otten agree to give them a 40-mile ride, but he also offered the hungry couple to stop at his dad’s BBQ place for lunch. Turns out this is exactly what they needed as they’d eaten nothing but dried vegan hiking food and chia-breakfast for a week. Practically, they were starving up until when they were greeted with a pulled pork sandwich and a mound of potato salad.

After the BBQ feast, the kind police officer drove the hitchhikers safely to Bishop as he promised.

“He was a true gent and explained that his job was to Protect and Serve: “When I’m not protecting, I’m serving.”