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Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It’s Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake
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Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It’s Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

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When we were growing up, we all had our personal collection of stuffed animals that we’d never part from when bedtime came. But out of all of them, there was always that one cuddly toy that was our favorite. You know the one. Odds are, you probably still have it. But some people are unlucky to have lost theirs.

Vittoria Gallagher shared the story of how she lost her favorite stuffed dog Crackers 18 years ago and rediscovered him lying dirty on the street by accident. Well, she brought him home and washed him. Who wouldn’t? After all, it’s your childhood toy that magically appeared in front of you!

But it turns out that the doggo she found wasn’t Crackers at all. It was… an imposter! [Cue lightning and thunder.]

More info: Twitter | Facebook

Vittoria Gallagher told the riveting story of how she found her long-lost toy dog in the street… or was it really her dog?

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vittoria Gallagher ‏

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Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

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Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

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Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

Image credits: Vitt2tsnoc

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It should come as no surprise that Vittoria’s hilarious and heartwarming story, combined with her witty prose, made her Twitter thread go viral with over 13,100 likes and 2,700 retweets. The wholesome thing is, Vittoria inspired a lot of people to share photos of their beloved stuffed toys and tell their stories.

It’s completely natural for kids to sleep with stuffed animals. But as we grow up, some of us have a hard time telling our best buddies, our guardians-against-nightmares that it’s time for them to leave our beds (but that they’ll still stay in our hearts).

Therapist Margaret Van Ackeren told Bored Panda that adults sleep with childhood stuffed animals because it brings them a sense of calm and reduces loneliness, as well as anxiety. “Sleeping with childhood stuffed animals as an adult is considered healthy, as long as it is not interfering with various areas of life such as social, occupational, psychological, and relational functioning,” she said.

“If the behavior is causing a problem in any of these areas, then it is worth looking into and putting effort into resolving.”

According to Van Ackeren, sleeping with stuffed toys may put a “strain” on adult relationships. Especially if your partner feels “neglected or second to the stuffed animal.”

If that’s the case, you’ve got to talk to your significant other and try to work something out. Therapy might be useful for some people if they have a hard time letting go.

In Van Ackeren’s opinion, people who want to get some distance from their stuffed animals can try replacing them with their partner’s love and affection. In other words, instead of hugging your teddy, you could try cuddling up to your loved one.

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Breaking up with your teddy

We should only think about hiding our cuddly toys if keeping them around gets in the way of our lives. For example, if it damages your romantic relationship with your partner or if you avoid traveling because you can’t bring your stuffed warthog or cuddly armadillo with you, then it’s time to think about moving on.

According to Well and Good, there is a certain… process to breaking up with your teddy. Like changing your diet or quitting a bad habit, going cold turkey isn’t the way to go for some people. For them, it’s better to take things slowly. Step. By. Step.

For instance, let’s say you decided that your stuffed panda is stopping you from being a super-serious and responsible adult. Well, the first thing you should do is move your childhood friend from your bed onto your nightstand. Easy, right? I mean, it’s right there next to you.

The second step is putting your friend, who’s stood by you all these years and always supported you no matter what, on top of your dresser or on the window sill.

The last step is the hardest. Take your teddy (who will always love you unconditionally and will understand you better than most people ever will) and put it out of sight in a closet or under the bed. Wow, that was harder than it seemed.

Dear Pandas, what’s your favorite stuffed animal? What’s its name and how long have you had it for? Do you still sleep with it every night?

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Twitter users adored Vittoria’s story about Crackers the dog and his imposter

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Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

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Woman Takes Home Filthy Toy She Found On The Street Thinking It's Hers From 18 Years Ago, Realizes She Made A Mistake

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maliceevil avatar
Malice Evil
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a similar story but the toy did not look like any of mine, it was a teddy bear. Took him home gave him a bath, made him look dapper, and gave him as a gift to my best friend. To go along with the toy i wrote a story of how the teddy ended up on the street and how he is searching for a friend to give him a new home. That teddy became one on the most cherished possession of my friend. All toys deserve a good loving home and a second chance especially those that are lost and neglected. I still have most of my childhood toys and they represent such lovely memories from when i was a child and saw the world through different eyes.

veni_vidi_vicky avatar
Vicky Zar
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have my toys too. My husband as well. And now our kids play with them. It's so heartwarming to see that.

Load More Replies...
roy_10 avatar
Roy Dark
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Great story, and literally round the corner from me in Freemantle! You found the second one at christmas, why not call it Christmas, it goes with Crackers!

emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a stuffed bear that was as big as a 2 year old that always stayed in bed with me at night. I was a typical kid scared of monsters in the closet. So while I slept with my back to the closet, my bear would be propped up against my back, staring the closet down to keep the monsters at bay. Several times he popped a seam. My parents repaired him as best they could. But eventually, I had to be brave and let him go. I miss that bear....

ethancollard avatar
Ethan Collard
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

(at the time of posting this, I am 13) I've had a stuffed dolphin named rocket for so long I can't even remember when we got him. He is currently in my sister's room, protecting them from the monster under the bed/in the closet. Now, he is big, like big big! If I remember correctly, he is around 4 feet long, so when I had him, he was like a god that was assigned to protect me. tl:dr = I have a giant dolphin that i still love at age 13

ginmarie avatar
Gin Marie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have my teddy from when I was four. At some point he got decapitated so I had to recapitate him with these big huge stitches. He looks like Frankenteddy but I still have him.

rothsteinlorrie avatar
lorrie rothstein
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i cant believe she thought that was her toy. maybe she is crackers. she said she smoked weed

norsepaw avatar
Sivi
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still have my first teddy bear and plush rabbit. Surprised they are still as good as new(well almost) when my little brothers teddy bear dont even have any fur left XD

gabi0horvath avatar
Gabi
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have found a small plushie fox on the street, next to a dump bin. He was just so small, so lost.....Brought him home, washed him, and he's been sitting on my shelf ever since. Plushie animals need homes too.

slw303 avatar
Sue Prewitt
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WHY would he be p**s soaked, and really? after how many years? just sitting there, huh? FFS

nickelbackfan07 avatar
Diana Jansen
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have my teddy bear from steiff. Back in 1995, my grandma gifted one to me and one to my twin on our first birthday after saving money for a year (!)to buy them. I still have him in sight (on my desk) as one of the few memories I have of her as she passed away when we were 7. I still love him 😅

suicidebride_5 avatar
Kathleen Barlow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 42 and still have a small brown stuffed bear named Funny that I got on my second birthday. Had I ever lost him and seen his doppelganger on the street years later, I would have done exactly the same thing as this lady and rescued him! haha

ariateare avatar
Aria
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm just surprised they both were in decent condition. When I re-found my old favorite stuffed bunny, it resembled a gray beanbag with an eyeless head.

pam_tafarella avatar
Pam
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really...she had to ask her sister if she'd ever even had the thing and only knew its name once her sister reminded her. What in the world would possess this woman to take trash on the street home....

maliceevil avatar
Malice Evil
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a similar story but the toy did not look like any of mine, it was a teddy bear. Took him home gave him a bath, made him look dapper, and gave him as a gift to my best friend. To go along with the toy i wrote a story of how the teddy ended up on the street and how he is searching for a friend to give him a new home. That teddy became one on the most cherished possession of my friend. All toys deserve a good loving home and a second chance especially those that are lost and neglected. I still have most of my childhood toys and they represent such lovely memories from when i was a child and saw the world through different eyes.

veni_vidi_vicky avatar
Vicky Zar
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have my toys too. My husband as well. And now our kids play with them. It's so heartwarming to see that.

Load More Replies...
roy_10 avatar
Roy Dark
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Great story, and literally round the corner from me in Freemantle! You found the second one at christmas, why not call it Christmas, it goes with Crackers!

emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a stuffed bear that was as big as a 2 year old that always stayed in bed with me at night. I was a typical kid scared of monsters in the closet. So while I slept with my back to the closet, my bear would be propped up against my back, staring the closet down to keep the monsters at bay. Several times he popped a seam. My parents repaired him as best they could. But eventually, I had to be brave and let him go. I miss that bear....

ethancollard avatar
Ethan Collard
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

(at the time of posting this, I am 13) I've had a stuffed dolphin named rocket for so long I can't even remember when we got him. He is currently in my sister's room, protecting them from the monster under the bed/in the closet. Now, he is big, like big big! If I remember correctly, he is around 4 feet long, so when I had him, he was like a god that was assigned to protect me. tl:dr = I have a giant dolphin that i still love at age 13

ginmarie avatar
Gin Marie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have my teddy from when I was four. At some point he got decapitated so I had to recapitate him with these big huge stitches. He looks like Frankenteddy but I still have him.

rothsteinlorrie avatar
lorrie rothstein
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i cant believe she thought that was her toy. maybe she is crackers. she said she smoked weed

norsepaw avatar
Sivi
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still have my first teddy bear and plush rabbit. Surprised they are still as good as new(well almost) when my little brothers teddy bear dont even have any fur left XD

gabi0horvath avatar
Gabi
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have found a small plushie fox on the street, next to a dump bin. He was just so small, so lost.....Brought him home, washed him, and he's been sitting on my shelf ever since. Plushie animals need homes too.

slw303 avatar
Sue Prewitt
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WHY would he be p**s soaked, and really? after how many years? just sitting there, huh? FFS

nickelbackfan07 avatar
Diana Jansen
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have my teddy bear from steiff. Back in 1995, my grandma gifted one to me and one to my twin on our first birthday after saving money for a year (!)to buy them. I still have him in sight (on my desk) as one of the few memories I have of her as she passed away when we were 7. I still love him 😅

suicidebride_5 avatar
Kathleen Barlow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 42 and still have a small brown stuffed bear named Funny that I got on my second birthday. Had I ever lost him and seen his doppelganger on the street years later, I would have done exactly the same thing as this lady and rescued him! haha

ariateare avatar
Aria
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm just surprised they both were in decent condition. When I re-found my old favorite stuffed bunny, it resembled a gray beanbag with an eyeless head.

pam_tafarella avatar
Pam
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really...she had to ask her sister if she'd ever even had the thing and only knew its name once her sister reminded her. What in the world would possess this woman to take trash on the street home....

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