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Brayden Morton: When he caught the thief who stole his dog, he sent her not to the police but to rehab.
Suddenly there was pandemonium at Brayden's home. His Shar-Pei dog Darla had been seized and he saw an old blue truck speeding off.
35-year-old Brayden, of British Columbia, called the police. But he did more.
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He told his story on Facebook and offered a $5,000 (Canadian, about $4,000 U.S.) reward. A friend added $2,000 (Canadian) more.
Then a call came from a hysterical 20-year-old woman.
"She was just crying ... She couldn't even talk," Brayden told The Washington Post.
"I said to her, 'Listen, I've messed up a lot in my life, and I've been forgiven for a lot of things I did. I'm not mad at you.' "
They met and Brayden received his dog and offered the reward money.
"She is just a kid, and she was standing there bawling. I went and gave her a hug, and I said, 'It's all right.' "I could tell that she was a fentanyl addict, like me."
Brayden has been sober since May 19, 2015 and is now a drug counselor.
This young woman lives on the streets. She and two other addicts were going to sell Brayden's dog on the Internet.
Brayden said: "I know if I give you this money, I'm going to hear about you dead in the next day or two."
Instead, they agreed to use the money to get her into drug treatment. And Brayden contacted the executive director of Westminster House Society (WHS), a top drug treatment program for women.
They immediately accepted her. But the cost of the 90-day-program is about $27,000 (Canadian).
Brayden is supporting her, while he and WHS raise the rest of the money. The intent is not only to save this young lady, but with the hope she in turn will rescue others.
Editor's Note:To learn more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/07/12/dog-stolen-thief-rehab/ and https://www.westminsterhouse.ca/our-story/.
In the next KazanToday: A church that paid off the medical debt for many poor people.
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