By Richard Stubbs · September 19, 2026
A heartwarming story about superstition, surprise discoveries, and the curious way luck has of showing up twice in one day.
Tyler called Waterfall Kennels a little earlier than usual, his face filling the tablet screen with a very serious expression. "Are you superstitious, Granddad?" he asked.
Granddad Richard laughed, adjusting his tablet on the desk. "Not particularly, Tyler. Why do you ask?"
"Because Jordyn said thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number, but we just had the luckiest thing happen!"
Jack and Joey, the ever-curious feline duo, had been exploring the very bottom of the garden at 7 Stichwort Lane, sniffing around the damp earth near the old potting shed.
They were pawing at a pile of dry leaves — and something extraordinary was hiding underneath.
Jordyn pushed her brother aside to get into the frame: "Guess what was underneath? A tiny, prickly hedgehog!"
The children named him Lucky. Dad suggested leaving milk and cat food out — Lucky might stick around and help keep the slugs away.
A tiny, prickly surprise hiding beneath a pile of leaves — the luckiest discovery at 7 Stichwort Lane.
Richard smiled, leaning back in his office chair. "Well, the number thirteen is certainly lucky for him — and strangely enough, it's proven lucky here at the kennels today, too."
Waterfall Kennels took in their thirteenth rescue pup of the month — a scruffy little terrier mix found wandering lost near the Fourways mall.
On the very same day the children found their hedgehog, a lost little dog found his way to safety — both on the 13th rescue of the month.
Found wandering near the Fourways mall, the little terrier mix was brought in to Waterfall Kennels — becoming the thirteenth rescue pup of the month.
"Oh, poor thing! What did you name him?" asked Tyler.
Richard's answer came with a warm twinkle in his eye — inspired entirely by the children's story from the garden that morning.
"I think, after hearing your story, we'll just have to call him Lucky, too. It certainly seems to be a day for it!"
Found beneath dry leaves at 7 Stichwort Lane by Jack and Joey.
Rescue #13 at Waterfall Kennels, found near the Fourways mall.
On September 19, 2026, the number thirteen proved anything but unlucky — bringing a hedgehog to safety in a garden and a lost terrier to a loving kennel, all in a single morning.
Discovered by Jack and Joey beneath autumn leaves at 7 Stichwort Lane. A prickly, welcome garden guest.
Rescue #13 at Waterfall Kennels — a scruffy wanderer found near Fourways mall, now safe and named.
Thirteen isn't unlucky — it's the number that brought two Luckys into the world on the very same day.
A story by Richard Stubbs · September 19, 2026
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