Dog lovers would agree that their loyal pets bring them a unique kind of happiness that no other creature in this world can. It is no different for Emma Mertens, a seven-year-old girl from Hartland, Wisconsin who just adores dogs.
Emma suffers from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare and inoperable brain tumor. She is undergoing strict treatment including chemotherapy.
But if there is one thing in the world that this girl loves the most, it is dogs of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Sadly, several of her family members are allergic to them, so they never had one in their home.
When a friend wrote Emma a letter from her dog’s perspective, the girl’s face lit up with joy. The family noticed that it was the first time in days that Emma smiled, so they requested for more letters from people’s dogs to cheer up their precious girl.
UPDATE from Emma’s Facebook page: “Hello all! Please share this Facebook page as a way for people to post pictures of their dogs instead of mailing or emailing. We are getting overwhelmed with the mail and would appreciate this avenue instead.”
Thanks to the internet, dog owners from all over the world heard about this and began sending Emma their dog’s love letters to lift her spirits up. The family received a whopping 80,000+ letters and tokens from people across the globe, with a united mission to bring a smile to Emma’s face and make her feel better.
Recently, Emma was once again blessed with an abundance of dog love as forty different police departments in Wisconsin lined up outside the Mertens’ home one Saturday afternoon. And they brought with them Emma’s favorite creatures in the world – dogs!
Each officer brought their K9 companion with them to meet and greet the dog-loving Emma. Usually, these officers are very serious on duty but in a setting such as this, the off-duty dogs were allowed to relax as Emma, along with her family and friends, petted and gave them some love.
The Hartford Police Department shared photos of the happy day on their Facebook page, saying:
“Today, just a few of us (roughly 40) stopped by to see Emma. She had no idea we were coming so she was VERY excited. What an amazing and strong little girl. It was such a great morning.”
In the pictures, Emma and her family, along with their friends and neighbors, can be seen standing in front of their open garage as the K9 officers line up to let their K9 partners meet Emma.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Emma’s parents wrote on her dedicated Facebook page about the epic day:
“There are no words….Pure Joy! Thank you to everyone who took the time to organize and participate in this. Emma is still all smiles! Over 35 different departments and many more K9s and officers.“
Later that weekend, Emma’s mother Tammy Mertens shared another photo, this one of the K9 stuffed toys that the officers gave her during the meet and greet.
“Attached is a picture of Emma’ Team of Police K9s. She has them lined up listening to the two leaders up front. They are all ready to fight crime and help cheer up other people in the world! It is so good to see her imagination again! Thank you again for all the generosity towards Emma.”
It’s so beautiful to see a community of people and animals in solidarity to extend love to this special little girl. A big thanks to the police officers who took the time to visit Emma with their dogs, they surely made her smile!
We hope that all the love that Emma received from these cops, their dogs, and from people across the globe bring her and her family positive thoughts and comfort in their journey towards her healing.
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