A widowed pensioner who asked dog owners to meet him because he missed ‘canine contact' has thanked his neighbours for their ‘kind' response.
David Whitehead, 75, sent out a heart-breaking letter to residents on Acres Road in Chorlton, Manchester where he made the plea saying it would ‘mean a lot' to him.
Originally from Northern Ireland, the former professor of ancient history said the response ‘far exceeded' his expectations with five replies out of forty odd.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: ‘The response has far exceeded my expectations. From Tuesday's flyer that I distributed throughout Acres Road, l got five replies out of 40 odd.
‘And now, so far, a further six have been replies thanks to the document's afterlife on Facebook and in the paper. So I'm delighted.
‘Five dogs met already, and more lined up for next week.'
Whitehead's original letter was later shared to a social media group with his permission leading to an influx of kind messages and offers.
Two of the pooches he has already met are Mango and Peach belonging to fellow Chorlton resident, Lauren Longman.
Originally from Northern Ireland, the former professor of ancient history said the response to his letter ‘far exceeded' his expectations with five replies out of forty odd
Mr Whitehead wrote: ‘Hello. Do excuse this unsolicited letter from a well-meaning neighbour. Last month I came to live at Acres Rd'
She came across David's note on Facebook like hundreds of others and decided to reach out to him and meet at a local cafe in Chorlton.
Ms Longman described Mr Whitehead as a ‘lovely' and ‘intelligent' man and said he had been ‘very brave' in sending out the letter.
In the notes posted last week, the 75-year-old had provided his mobile number, asking those in the local area to reach out if they were interested and then apologising for the ‘unsolicited note'.
He wrote: ‘Hello. Do excuse this unsolicited letter from a well-meaning neighbour. Last month I came to live at Acres Rd.
‘Because my house is rented, I am prohibited from keeping a dog (or indeed any kind of pet).
‘Which saddens me. In an earlier life in County Down, Northern Ireland – my late wife and I homed a sequence of rescue-dogs, and I very much miss canine contact.
‘I am writing to ask, therefore, whether you have a dog or dogs yourself and, if you do, whether you might allow me to meet him/her/them. Beyond that, occasionally joining you on a walk (not-too-strenuous: I am 75!) would mean a lot to me.
‘Again: my apologies if you find this approach intrusive; it is certainly not meant to be. If you don't, please consider texting me so that we can discuss how to proceed. Thank you and best wishes.'
Mr Whitehead said the letter had been out of his ‘comfort zone' but he had felt compelled to reach out for support due to loneliness.
It comes as his wife, Arlene, sadly passed away last year and he has recently moved from Northern Ireland where he lived with her after leaving Manchester in 1992.
Mr Whitehead said he was ‘very glad' he had taken the uncharacteristic step of ‘putting myself out there'.
He also thanked everyone for their kind messages and the ‘extraordinary' number of people who ‘liked' or commented on the Facebook post or piece in the paper.
