Fairhaven Woman Hopes to Return Puppy Blanket to Local Child

Faith in humanity: Restored.

Carole Mahaney was out for a walk through Fairhaven on Sunday when she came across a lost item on the sidewalk in front of the town's fire department. It was a pink and white children's blanket with a black stuffed animal puppy attached, and Mahaney immediately jumped into action.

She saw a police officer sitting in a car nearby, and after Mahaney explained the situation to him, the officer said she might have some luck reuniting the blanket with its owner if she shared photos of it online. Mahaney brought the blanket home and posted about it on Facebook, where, as of Monday afternoon, more than 40 fellow SouthCoast residents have joined her mission and shared the photos.

Mahaney said she actually may be sadder about the lost blanket than the child missing it because she experienced a similar loss while on a walk with her grandchild many years ago.

"I’ve been in this situation where my grandson dropped his on the bike path when I was pushing him 13 years ago [a]nd I went into panic mode," Mahaney said. "I backtracked and found it on the pole like safety barrier at the intersection!!! Someone kindly placed it there for me to find."

As a grandma who has collected many things from her kids (and their kids) over the years, Mahaney knows that something as simple as a blanket can hold a lot of meaning, not just for young children, but for their family members as well.

"I just feel so bad because being a grandma myself I can show anyone the special items I’ve saved over the years from my [three] daughters and [three] grandchildren to maybe give them back in case of my demise," Mahaney said. "My daughters' reaction to knowing I have saved these trinkets all these years is the familia response, 'Of course you do Mom!' Hey... That’s what I do!"

Mahaney has not been able to connect with the blanket's rightful owner quite yet, but is still holding out hope that her post will reach them. Until then, she said she'll keep the blanket and its sweet little puppy dog safe at home.

If this is your child's blanket, you can reach out to Carole Mahaney through Facebook Messenger.