IN A beautiful gesture of community support, Echuca’s Ben Jacobs has gifted a rainbow dog to 12-year-old Bindhi Stewart.
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In an article on the front page of Friday’s Riv, Bindhi’s mum Misty shared how she was desperately searching for her daughter’s missing soft toy Rainbow Dog.
Bindhi, who has autism, was given the toy when she was just two — and they’ve been best friends ever since.
After reading the article, Mr Jacobs was so touched he decided he had to do something.
‘‘My friend’s mum at BUPA makes these rainbow dogs and I thought how nice — it’s not exactly the same of course, but I wanted to help,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve got a little girl who is also 12-years-old and reading the story touched my heart.
‘‘I wanted to do what I could, even if it’s something small.’’
Misty Stewart said her daughter was very excited Rainbow Dog’s cousin was coming to stay.
‘‘Some kids have blankets for comfort, but Bindhi’s always loved animals — and for her, it’s always been about Rainbow Dog,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s not a toy to her, it’s her best friend, she sleeps with her, takes her everywhere.
Misty said it was unusual for Bindhi to leave Rainbow Dog anywhere — but she suspected the toy may have been lost at Squiggles Playhouse in Moama or Gravity Shack in Echuca, where Bindhi attended parties a month ago.
‘‘I’m hoping another child saw Rainbow and liked her, so there’s a chance the toy can still come back to us,’’ Misty said. ‘‘Bindhi’s constantly asking where Rainbow is.
If anyone has information on Rainbow Dog, they should contact Misty on her Facebook page (under Misty Stewart).
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