New York Liberty Score First WNBA Title in Thrilling Game 5 Overtime Win

The New York Liberty claimed their first WNBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in a thrilling Game 5. Led by Jonquel Jones' 17 points, the Liberty finally broke their Finals curse after five previous losses. The victory marked New York's first basketball title since the Knicks won the NBA championship in 1973. Despite stars Stewart and Ionescu struggling, other players stepped up big time in overtime to secure the historic win for the Liberty and send fans into a frenzy with hugs and falling streamers.

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Bondi Beach Hero Al-Ahmed Tackles Shooter, Raises $2.2M In Donations

A father of two is being hailed as a national hero in Australia after disarming a gunman during a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday. Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit seller originally from Syria, acted in a split second that may have saved dozens of lives. Footage from the scene shows him sneaking up behind the attacker, wrestling the gun from his hands, and pointing it back at him before placing it on the ground and raising his arms to signal he was not a threat. Al-Ahmed’s intervention ended one part of the attack and has since triggered an outpouring of support across the country. GoFundMe confirmed that a campaign launched in al-Ahmed’s name has raised more than $2.2 million so far. “We’re seeing an outpouring of love for Ahmed al-Ahmed following his heroic actions at Bondi Beach,” the platform said on X. “We’re working directly with organisers to ensure funds safely reach Ahmed and his family.” Outside the Saint George Hospital, where al-Ahmed is being treated for gunshot wounds, strangers have left flowers and notes of gratitude. Others placed tributes at his closed fruit shop, according to local media. Al-Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed, told ABC News that his son had been having coffee with a friend when he heard gunshots and decided to step in. “My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people,” he said. It’s not yet clear which police force al-Ahmed previously served in. His mother, Malakeh Hasan al-Ahmed, said she collapsed in tears after receiving the call that her son had been shot. “I kept beating myself up and crying,” she told reporters. Ahmed al-Ahmed moved to Sydney in 2006 after fleeing war in Syria. Friends and relatives have described him as humble, generous, and deeply committed to his community. His actions have drawn praise from across the political spectrum. On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the Bondi Pavilion, laying flowers at a memorial site and offering condolences to the victims’ families. “He didn’t just save lives, he showed us what courage looks like,” one supporter wrote online. “He ran toward danger, when everyone else was running away.” The full picture of the attack, including the identities and motivations of the two suspects, is still unfolding. One suspect was killed at the scene, and the other remains in critical condition. Police have classified the shooting as a terrorist attack. But amid the horror, al-Ahmed’s actions have given Australians something else to focus on: bravery, selflessness, and the simple power of one person choosing to help others. “He didn’t do it for recognition,” a neighbour told reporters. “He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do.”

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How A Simple Ride to Work Sparked an Unexpected Friendship in Georgia

For a long time, Keith Tidwell and Debbie Rhoden passed each other without speaking. Tidwell worked nights in the produce section at the Kroger on Gray Highway. Rhoden shopped there often. They didn’t know each other’s names. That changed about 18 months ago when Rhoden spotted Tidwell walking along the roadside on her drive home. She recognized him from the store and realized he was making his long commute — nearly five miles each way — on foot. It was late. The road was dark. Rhoden turned her car around and offered him a ride. Tidwell, who usually walks or bikes to work, decided to accept. That ride didn’t just make his commute easier — it changed both their lives. Rhoden had lost her son, Carlos Hill, just months earlier. “I think he would have wanted me to pick him up and take him to work, especially when he knew how far he has to walk at night,” she said. What began as a one-time gesture has since become routine. Rhoden now gives Tidwell regular rides to work several times a week. The two, once strangers, have formed a close friendship. “She never made me feel like I was a burden,” Tidwell said. The rides have made his commute safer and far less stressful. Rhoden said she never hesitated. “I just knew it was the right thing to do,” she said. Tidwell is currently working toward earning his driver’s license. But no matter who’s driving in the future, both say their bond isn’t going anywhere.

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This NFL Player is Wowing Teammates with His R&B Pipes — and a Staggering 12 Instruments

During a regular New York Jets special teams meeting earlier this season, defensive tackle Jowon Briggs was put on the spot. “I didn't know you could sing,” special teams coordinator Chris Banjo said, nudging Briggs. “Man, go ahead and sing something.” So the 6-foot-1, 313-pound lineman stayed in his seat and started singing Tevin Campbell’s R&B classic “Can We Talk.” The room went quiet — and then erupted. “He has a beautiful voice,” said teammate Harrison Phillips. “It was crazy, actually,” added safety Isaiah Oliver. “I didn’t know that about him... but it was really good.” Briggs got a standing ovation. Turns out, singing is just the beginning. The 24-year-old not only has a strong voice — he also plays at least 12 instruments to varying degrees. Piano, violin, cello, acoustic and electric guitar, saxophone, flute, harmonica — the list goes on. He started with the recorder in kindergarten. Then came strings, acting, choirs, even a cappella tours overseas. “I always say, everybody’s got something,” Briggs said. “I just happen to be a musical guy.” Jets defensive tackle Jay Tufele called it what it is: “He’s a beast on the field and off.” Briggs has been a bright spot for the Jets in an otherwise rocky season. After being picked up just before the regular season began — a seventh-rounder from Cleveland, via the University of Cincinnati — he quickly earned a starting role. With Quinnen Williams traded to Dallas, Briggs stepped in and has put up 28 tackles, six for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and nine QB hits. “He’s a big man, he’s strong,” said coach Aaron Glenn. “What’s been surprising — and I wouldn’t say surprising — but what he’s had the tick up in is his ability to rush the passer.” Growing up in Cincinnati, Briggs was surrounded by music and competition. Four older sisters and a younger brother filled the house with songs, instruments, and constant energy. “It was kind of like Battle of the Bands,” Briggs said. “My sisters all sing better than I can... but if you grow up in that kind of competitive household, you find out if you can sing or not fairly quickly.” He started singing and acting at a performing arts school and kept going through high school, landing the lead in Ragtime as Coalhouse Walker Jr. Along the way, he picked up instrument after instrument, with a special love for the bass guitar. “It’s my favorite all the way,” he said. “And I just picked up a new one.” By the time he got to college — first at the University of Virginia as a physics and music double major, then transferring to Cincinnati — he was singing the national anthem before basketball games, joining chamber choirs, and touring London with the Hullabahoos, an all-male a cappella group. Music was his way of finding balance. “Compared to singing a solo on stage,” Briggs said, “being on a football field might as well be like a walk in a loud park.” Now a married father of four, Briggs still makes time for music. “I probably got a couple albums worth,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when I feel like releasing them.” His playlist is all over the map: jazz legends like John Coltrane, grunge bands like Alice In Chains, classics like Sarah Vaughan and Prince. He even raps, according to teammates. “His singing voice and his rapping voice are two different buckets,” said Phillips. “I’m not artistic in any way, so major props to him on that.” These days, Briggs decompresses by quietly playing bass with headphones after the kids go to bed. Sometimes he records tracks with computer programs. Occasionally, a teammate will spot the amp in the back of his car. “Then we go down the rabbit hole,” Briggs said, laughing. “But I don’t think a lot of guys even know. And they might not ever know. I mean, until they see me put out a record 30 years from now.” He’s not ruling out the stage either. “Even if it’s not off-Broadway or even off-off-Broadway,” he joked. Football is still the focus. But long after the last down, his voice — and maybe that five-string bass — will still be playing.

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Endangered Sea Turtles Recover In Florida After Rescue Off Cape Cod

Two dozen endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are slowly recovering in Florida after being pulled from the icy waters off Cape Cod, where they were left hypothermic and near death. The turtles were rescued and flown down to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach on Dec. 9, with help from the nonprofit LightHawk, which specializes in flying wildlife to safety. Many of the turtles were found suffering from frostbite, pneumonia, abrasions and a condition called cold-stunning, a life-threatening reaction to sudden exposure to frigid temperatures. “These guys are very critically ill when they get here, and they are undergoing extensive treatment,” said Heather Barron, chief science officer and veterinarian at Loggerhead. “They’re getting nebulized where they actually breathe in medicine. That helps their lungs do their job better.” Cold-stunning is a physiological shock response that affects cold-blooded animals when temperatures plummet. In sea turtles, it causes sluggishness, loss of mobility, and in many cases, organ failure if not treated quickly. Kemp’s ridley, loggerhead and green sea turtles are especially vulnerable. Once stunned, they often float helplessly and are eventually washed ashore—if they survive that long. This year’s cold-stunning season hit hard. The New England Aquarium in Boston, which typically serves as a triage hub for stranded turtles, has already treated 472 hypothermic sea turtles since Nov. 7. The influx prompted officials to transfer some turtles south to relieve overcrowding. “A number of turtles were sent to Florida to relieve overcrowding at the New England Aquarium,” said Pam Bechtold Snyder, director of marketing and communications for the aquarium. “Most of those turtles were stranded during a strong westerly wind event on Nov. 28 and went through the triage process at the Boston facility.” From there, turtles were transported to sea turtle hospitals across the U.S. in coordination with NOAA’s Fisheries Service. Loggerhead was one of the facilities tapped for help. This isn’t the first time the Florida-based rescue center has stepped in. Last year, the team rehabilitated another group of cold-stunned turtles, all of whom were successfully released into the Atlantic months later. Barring complications, the current group is expected to stay at the facility through spring, when they’ll be released into warm waters to continue their migration north. “They’ll be released into the Atlantic Ocean to make their way back to New England,” Barron said. In keeping with a long-running tradition at Loggerhead, the turtles have been given names—this time with a theme inspired by Greek mythology. “We have Pandora and Gaia and Persephone and Helios and all those guys,” Barron said. Each patient is undergoing a regimen of antibiotics, fluids, and respiratory therapy. Staff and volunteers are closely monitoring their progress in the sea turtle hospital, a facility designed to simulate a natural marine environment while providing intensive care. Kemp’s ridley turtles, one of the world’s most endangered sea turtle species, are typically found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast. Their population has been decimated by habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and climate-related disruptions to their migratory patterns. Cape Cod has become a hotspot for cold-stunning, largely because of its geography. Sea turtles migrating south in autumn can get trapped by the hook-shaped peninsula. As ocean temperatures drop, many are unable to escape, caught between the shoreline and their own declining mobility. Volunteers regularly patrol beaches to search for stranded turtles, which are then sent to Boston for emergency care. This system has saved thousands over the years, but requires coordination among aquariums, government agencies, and now, increasingly, out-of-state facilities. While this year’s total hasn’t yet broken records, the season isn’t over. More turtles are likely to be stranded as winter intensifies. But thanks to efforts from organizations like LightHawk, NOAA, and sea turtle hospitals around the country, many of these endangered animals have a fighting chance. And with a little help from science—and mythology—Pandora, Helios, and the rest may soon find their way back home.

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Colorful Road Art Initiative Transforms Athens Intersection, Enhancing Safety and Community Spirit

In the heart of Athens, a once-dangerous intersection near a school and retirement home has been transformed—not with new traffic lights or major construction, but with paint, creativity, and a little help from schoolchildren. At the busy crossroads of Ethnikis Antistaseos and Filadelfias in the Kaisariani district, near-constant car crashes were a fact of life. The area sits between a nursery, a primary school, and a senior citizens’ center—yet lacked the visual cues that make drivers slow down and watch for pedestrians. Now, thanks to the Asphalt Art Initiative, it looks very different. Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Asphalt Art program brings together artists, designers, and urban planners to rethink dangerous city spaces. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has completed over 90 projects across 20 countries, turning drab intersections into bright, engaging community landmarks that also make streets safer. Janette Sadik-Khan, principal for transportation at Bloomberg Associates, described it as “a life-saving movement.” In a statement, she said, “The Asphalt Art Initiative shows how much progress you can make with a fresh coat of paint and fresh thinking about how to design streets that are safer for everyone.” In Kaisariani, that meant partnering with local schoolchildren to redesign the intersection with safety and imagination in mind. Alongside urban planners and artists, the kids helped select colors, sketch ideas, and ultimately turn the street into a living canvas. The result: bold orange, yellow, and blue stars, robots, and sunbeams now cover the pavement, surrounded by widened pedestrian zones and new traffic barriers to slow down vehicles. The colors were chosen to be bright enough to catch a driver’s attention, but not so chaotic as to confuse. “We tried to use colors which are bright but not disorienting, because the idea was to bring out the kids’ drawings,” said designer Antonia Michalakakou. Teacher Stella Moisi joined her students in rolling on paint, watching their designs come to life in real time. “It’s a street that students cross often,” she said. “Which is why we are delighted to decorate it.” And while it’s hard to measure joy in hard numbers, the safety improvements are real. Research backs up what the community saw immediately: when streets are made more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly, drivers tend to slow down. Visibility improves. Accidents decrease. That runs counter to claims made elsewhere—like in Florida, where officials recently ordered the removal of pavement art, including a rainbow-painted sidewalk honoring victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. State officials said it was for “safety” reasons, despite studies showing such markings actually help draw attention to crosswalks. In Kaisariani, the art hasn’t just brightened the street. It’s built community, empowered kids, and made the area safer for everyone—from toddlers to pensioners. And it didn’t require tearing up sidewalks or laying down asphalt. Just some paint, a few brushes, and the belief that cities can be safer—and more beautiful—when communities take part in shaping them.

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Meet the Students Who Might’ve Just Cracked a Key Part of Aging—and It Started with a Hallway Chat

A new discovery from Mayo Clinic researchers could open the door to more effective treatments for age-related diseases—and it started with two students chatting at a scientific mixer. The research, published in the journal Aging Cell, introduces a novel way to identify and label senescent cells, often called “zombie cells.” These are cells that have stopped dividing but don’t die off as they should, and instead linger in the body, contributing to conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and the aging process itself. Targeting these cells could be a powerful strategy for treating a wide range of diseases, but until now, one of the biggest hurdles has been detecting them accurately in living tissue without harming nearby healthy cells. That’s where a pair of graduate students, Keenan Pearson and Sarah Jachim, stepped in—with an idea that even their professors initially called “crazy.” Pearson had been working in a lab studying synthetic DNA structures called aptamers—tiny strands of DNA that can fold into shapes and attach to proteins on a cell’s surface. He was focused on brain cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Jachim, a few floors up, was studying aging and senescent cells. The two crossed paths at a Mayo Clinic scientific event and started swapping ideas about their thesis work. Pearson wondered: Could aptamers be used to detect senescent cells? “I thought the idea was a good one,” Pearson said, “but I didn’t know about the process of preparing senescent cells to test them, and that was Sarah’s expertise.” The two brought their idea to their faculty mentors, including biochemist and molecular biologist Jim Maher, Ph.D., and Darren Baker, Ph.D., an expert on therapies for senescent cells. Instead of shutting it down, the researchers gave the students the green light. “We frankly loved that it was the students’ idea and a real synergy of two research areas,” said Dr. Maher. They got to work, using a pool of over 100 trillion random DNA sequences to search for rare aptamers that could detect surface proteins specific to senescent cells. In tests with mouse cells, they found a handful that could do just that—mark senescent cells by binding to them, without tagging healthy ones. “This approach established the principle that aptamers are a technology that can be used to distinguish senescent cells from healthy ones,” Dr. Maher said. “Though this study is a first step, the results suggest the approach could eventually apply to human cells.” As the early data came in, the research team grew. More students from both labs joined the project, including Brandon Wilbanks, Luis Prieto, and Caroline Doherty. They brought in advanced microscopy tools and tested the technique on multiple tissue types. “It became encouraging to expend more effort,” said Jachim. “Because we could tell it was a project that was going to succeed.” Beyond just labeling the cells, the study also offered insight into what makes senescent cells biologically unique. Unlike many research efforts that start with a known target, the aptamer method allowed the molecules themselves to “choose” what to bind to. That led to a surprising discovery: several aptamers latched onto a variant of a protein called fibronectin on the surface of senescent mouse cells. No one’s quite sure yet what this fibronectin variant means for senescence, but it may offer a new way to understand how zombie cells behave—and why they stick around. “This study was set up to be open-ended about the target surface molecules on senescent cells,” said Dr. Maher. “The beauty of this approach is that we let the aptamers choose the molecules to bind to.” If the method can be adapted for use in humans, aptamers could eventually do more than just tag senescent cells—they might be used to deliver treatments directly to them, helping to eliminate them more precisely than existing methods. That’s especially important because aptamers are cheaper and easier to produce than traditional antibodies, which are often used to detect specific cell types. “This project demonstrated a novel concept,” Dr. Maher said. “Future studies may extend the approach to applications related to senescent cells in human disease.” It’s still early days. But the idea—sparked by a chance conversation between two students—is already showing promise as a way to unlock new treatments for aging and degenerative disease. For Pearson, the experience reinforced the power of unexpected collaboration. “I don’t even think we knew what we were getting into at the start,” he said. “But it turns out, sometimes the hallway conversations are the ones that change everything.”

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She Conquered 100 Fears In 100 Days — Now, She's Empowering Others To Do The Same

When Michelle Poler moved to New York City for grad school in 2014, she didn’t expect fear to become her full-time companion. But the fast pace and uncertainty of city life left her feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and constantly on edge. So she tried something counterintuitive: instead of running from her fears, she ran straight into them. Poler launched a personal project called 100 Days Without Fear, challenging herself to confront one fear every day for 100 days. Some were small — reading negative comments on her blog, going camping. Others were high-stakes: skydiving, holding a tarantula, even giving a TEDx Talk. That TEDx Talk, which had once been one of her biggest fears, ended up transforming her career. “From that day on I decided to dedicate my life to encourage as many people as possible to start living a more fulfilled lifestyle,” Poler wrote on her website, Hello Fears. And she meant it — her journey from fear to freedom has since turned into a global movement. In the 10 years since the project began, Poler’s message has reached more than 70 million people around the world. She’s written a book (Hello Fears), spoken at schools and companies across continents, and built a platform aimed at helping others challenge their comfort zones and rewrite their personal narratives. Poler’s message is simple: we don’t need to be fearless to live fully — we just need to stop letting fear make our choices for us. “I don’t believe in absolute fearlessness,” she said in her 2015 TEDx Talk. “But I do believe that we can negotiate with our fears as a way to pursue our dreams and open ourselves to new experiences that we never even considered.” Over the course of her original challenge, Poler faced 100 fears. And not once, she said, was the actual experience worse than the one she imagined. “I’m telling you, after facing 100 fears, not even one time the actual challenge was worse than what I had in my head before.” Her story continues to resonate, especially in a time when fear and anxiety feel more present than ever. Poler’s message isn’t about ignoring fear or pretending it doesn’t exist — it’s about changing the relationship we have with it. From jumping out of planes to standing on a stage, Michelle Poler found that courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s action in spite of it.

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Playful Bears Create Makeshift See-Saw in Captivating Video Moment

Two young Andean bears at the Queens Zoo are getting attention this week for turning a tree branch into a makeshift playground—and giving visitors a glimpse of their playful personalities. In a short video filmed by a guest and shared by the zoo, the two bears—Coya, a nearly two-year-old female, and Ransisku, a four-year-old male—are seen bouncing on opposite ends of a fallen limb, creating a kind of natural see-saw. The footage is as entertaining as it is endearing, with both bears clearly enjoying themselves. “While this particular interaction with the branch is unique and fun to watch, it’s very much in line with their natural instinct to explore, climb, and test their surroundings,” said Mike Allen, Director of the Queens Zoo. “They’re learning about their habitat—and each other—every day.” Andean bears, also called spectacled bears for the pale markings that often ring their eyes, are the only bear species native to South America. In the wild, they live in the high-altitude forests and grasslands of the Tropical Andes, spanning Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Highly arboreal by nature, these bears spend much of their time in trees—for nesting, foraging, resting, and, as it turns out, playing. Adults typically grow to about 1.5 to 1.8 metres in length, with strong limbs and claws well-suited to climbing. The zoo said the playful behaviour captured on video reflects the natural curiosity and adaptability of young bears in particular. For Coya and Ransisku, everything in their environment is still new—and worth experimenting with. The moment may be lighthearted, but for a species that’s classified as vulnerable in the wild, each sign of healthy development in captivity is meaningful. Engaged, socially active animals are more likely to thrive, and enrichment activities like these help simulate the physical and mental challenges they’d encounter in nature. In the meantime, their antics are delighting zoo visitors and social media users alike. One commenter simply wrote, “This made my whole day.” The Queens Zoo is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which works to protect endangered species and habitats around the world—including in the Andes, where habitat loss and fragmentation remain serious threats to the spectacled bear. For now, though, Coya and Ransisku seem focused on more immediate concerns—like who gets the next turn on the branch.

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3D Printed, Lab-Grown Cornea Transplant Restores Sight in Breakthrough for Blind Individuals

A man once legally blind can now see again, thanks to the world’s first successful implant of a 3D-printed human cornea made entirely from lab-grown eye cells. The breakthrough surgery, performed in Israel in late October, used a bio-fabricated cornea developed by North Carolina-based startup Precise Bio. It’s a landmark moment in regenerative medicine—and a potentially life-changing shift for the estimated 12.7 million people worldwide who live with corneal blindness. “This achievement marks a turning point for regenerative ophthalmology—a moment of real hope for millions,” said Aryeh Batt, co-founder and CEO of Precise Bio. Unlike traditional corneal transplants, which rely on scarce donor tissue, the PB-001 implant was created using a robotic system that prints living human corneal cells into a structure that mimics the real thing. The company says its tech can potentially produce hundreds of corneas from a single donor sample, a massive leap from today’s reality, where one donated cornea is stretched to help just one patient. In the U.S. alone, demand far outpaces supply. For every available donor cornea, about 70 people are left waiting. PB-001 could change that math entirely. “This is a game changer,” said Dr. Michael Mimouni, the cornea unit director at Rambam Medical Center in Israel, who performed the implant. “We’ve witnessed a cornea created in the lab, from living human cells, bring sight back to a human being. It was an unforgettable moment—a glimpse into a future where no one will have to live in darkness because of a shortage of donor tissue.” The implant was tested in one eye of a patient who had been legally blind, and the results were immediate. While full trial data is still in early stages, the initial success suggests the bio-printed tissue integrated effectively with the patient’s eye, restoring vision. Precise Bio’s PB-001 cornea is designed to closely mimic the real thing. It’s optically clear, biomechanically similar to human corneas, and shipped cryopreserved and preloaded in standard surgical delivery tools. Once implanted, the sheet of lab-grown tissue unrolls and settles into the natural shape of the cornea. The transplant targets damage in the outermost layer of the eye—the part that covers the iris and pupil—often clouded by disease, trauma, or infection. In many cases, existing options are limited to full transplants, which are invasive, dependent on donor supply, and not always a perfect match. PB-001 aims to offer a ready-made, consistent, and scalable alternative. The company is currently running a phase 1 clinical trial in Israel, with plans to enroll 10 to 15 patients experiencing corneal fluid buildup caused by cell layer dysfunction. Results from the trial, including six-month efficacy outcomes, are expected in the second half of 2026. The innovation could also streamline the surgical process. Because the PB-001 implant is compatible with existing tools and workflows, it may not require retraining surgeons or redesigning entire operating procedures—a key factor in scaling up any new transplant method. “This could lead the way towards reshaping transplant medicine as we know it,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, co-founder of Precise Bio and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. While it's still early days, PB-001’s first successful use in a human patient is a major step forward in regenerative eye care. If future trials continue to show strong results, it could one day eliminate the global backlog of patients waiting for corneal transplants—not just by meeting demand, but by producing tissue on demand.

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This Man Carries Shelter Dogs in a Backpack Around His City to Boost Adoptions

It started with a Corgi in a backpack. Bryan Reisberg wasn’t looking to go viral. He was just commuting on the New York City subway with his dog, Maxine, tucked neatly into a backpack. But Maxine had a way of making people smile. In a crowded car full of blank stares and slumped shoulders, she became a bright spot. People lit up when they saw her. And soon, the internet did too. “She was known as ‘the dog in the backpack’ all over the world,” Reisberg told The Washington Post. “It was crazy and totally unexpected.” That one moment — Maxine’s fuzzy face poking out of a backpack — turned into something much bigger. Reisberg leaned into the viral fame, quit his job, and launched a dog backpack company called Little Chonk. But a friend nudged him to take things further: could this backpack, and Maxine’s magic, help shelter dogs get adopted? The answer turned out to be a very enthusiastic yes. Reisberg partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and came up with a simple idea: put shelter dogs in the backpack, take them around the city, and give them the same spotlight Maxine got. Each week, he picks up a new dog and straps them in with an “Adopt Me” tag. The rest is pure social media alchemy. He films videos of the pups riding the subway, strolling through New York, meeting strangers, licking faces, and just generally being adorable. His editing background gives the content a professional sheen, but the dogs do most of the heavy lifting — by simply being themselves. So far, he’s featured 11 dogs. Ten have already been adopted. The only one still waiting has an ongoing medical condition. But the impact goes far beyond those individual dogs. According to Best Friends CEO Julie Castle, the shelter has seen about 100 more dog adoptions this year than the same period last year — and she credits the backpack project as a major reason why. “It’s such a morale boost for our team,” Castle said. “When Bryan comes in and uses his channels to influence adoption, he’s a hero to these dogs and to our staff.” One recent star was Bertha, a six-year-old dog with a big heart and a bigger body — 65 pounds of fluff packed into Reisberg’s backpack. She rode trains, wandered through Queens, and quickly won over hearts online. Instagram comments poured in. “What a beauty!” one person wrote. “Bertha, your happily ever after is coming.” And it did. “MISS BERTHA WAS JUST ADOPTED BY A LOVELY FAMILY ON LONG ISLAND WITH A NICE BIG HOUSE!!!” Reisberg later posted. The success isn’t just about reach — though Reisberg’s videos have pulled in more than 75 million views. It’s about the way they shift perception. Shelter dogs aren’t hidden behind cages or sad ads. They’re out in the world, showing their personalities, winning people over. “Perfect way to get the word out about the beautiful souls that are all alone and need love,” wrote one Instagram user. And that’s exactly what Reisberg hopes to keep doing: giving overlooked dogs a ride — and a shot — at finding a home. “My heart gets so warm,” wrote one fan. “Your best friend is waiting for you and you don’t even realize it.”

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