Found aimlessly wandering the streets outside of Dallas, Texas, a pit bull was taken to a local animal shelter. The prospects were dim. The dog was about to be euthanized.

Fate intervened. An anonymous volunteer posted a picture of the dog on social media, and this led to a miraculous journey from Texas to Tennessee, specifically a rescue organization in Hendersonville. It was determined through a visit to the vet that the dog’s eyes were so sick that they had to be removed.

It would’ve been easy to give up on any hopes for the pooch at that point. But the story of this resilient dog named River was just beginning, thanks to the Van Meter family of Gallatin.

In 2021 the Van Meters, who had been rescuing animals for 20 years, gave River a forever home. And now Bethany Van Meter is sharing River’s inspiring story with others through her books “I See With My Heart,” “I Got A Cat For Christmas” and “River Has A Purpose And So Do You.” The Van Meters and River have already made numerous appearances at schools, churches, assisted living facilities and other organizations both local and out of state where Bethany reads to attendees and they, in turn, get to interact with their new hero.

“River is a ministry tool,” says Bethany, who began her writing endeavor some two years ago. “There’s just something in the way people respond to him. He’s initially judged by his breed, his looks, and his disability, and once people get to know him it’s a cool way to bridge all these differences. They see his personality and it helps them view him in a whole new perspective.”

Veterinarians who evaluated River estimated he had been blind for more than a year before he was rescued, making his survival incredible indeed.

“The infection River had put 2 ½ times more pressure than you’re supposed to have in your eyes, so he was in a ton of pain,” Bethany says. “People see him and feel sorry for him and I’m like ‘No, don’t because he would have passed away due to the infection spreading. He’s not in pain now.’”

Bethany jokes that to watch River, who is now 8 years old, he doesn’t act like a dog who is blind.

“He gets along just fine,” she laughs. “He does tricks and has a wonderful temperament. And he’s so smart – the first time we stayed at someone’s house on our reading tour we got there on a Sunday evening and by Tuesday morning he had the layout of the house memorized. It’s remarkable to watch.”

River’s journey from homeless to a life filled with love epitomizes one of Bethany’s favorite Bible verses, Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” It’s a reminder to always have compassion for those who are less fortunate.

“It’s so touching to see how everyone connects with [River] and how he connects with them,” says Bethany. “We’ve been to several special needs groups, and it’s like his superpower can connect with their superpower and vice versa. At one of these stops, a boy came up and put his glasses on River … I cried, my husband cried at seeing that connection be made.”

And River’s story isn’t done being told. Bethany has another book in the works and, like her previous writings, a portion of sales will be earmarked for helping dogs get trained to be therapy dogs.

“I think every school in the country should have some type of therapy dog,” she stresses. “We’ve been to schools where they have therapy or facility dogs and the environment at those schools is so different. There’s a kind of gentleness and love that these dogs can provide to humans.”

To learn more about River, schedule an in-person book reading with River alongside, or order “I See With My Heart,” visit rivervanmeter.com. You can also follow the “River Van Meter” Facebook page as well as “River Vanmeter” on Instagram.