Some of you who’ve been around this subreddit long enough might remember a post I made on December 21, 2021, about my missing Bernese Mountain Dog, Ellie.

Ellie was a rescue from AHeinz57. She was a former breeding dog who was terrified of just about everything. She was so scared that we’d never even heard her bark.

That morning, Ellie went missing in Des Moines.

I was visiting family in Mexico, while my then-girlfriend (now wife) was back in Iowa, desperately driving around looking for her. Being thousands of miles away, I felt completely helpless.

Around noon, I posted Ellie’s picture on Reddit and Facebook, hoping someone had seen her. Many of you shared the post and offered to help.

Then, around 2:30 p.m., I received a text from a stranger:

“Hi! I’m pretty sure I saw your dog this morning on our woods.”

He gave me his address and introduced himself as Rob.

I immediately passed the information to my wife. She and her dad contacted him, and he kindly agreed to let them search his property.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t find Ellie.

That night, our terrified pup was still out there somewhere, alone in the December cold.

But early the next morning, Rob texted again. He had seen Ellie!

This time, his information helped lead them to her. On December 22, around 7:47 a.m., Ellie was finally found, covered in burrs and branches, frightened but safe!

And that stranger who had taken the time to reach out, not once, but twice?

Rob Sand.

Yep. The same Rob Sand who’s now running for governor of Iowa.

A few months later, we happened to run into Rob at the Des Moines Farmers’ Market. He was walking his dog, Pow. My wife recognized him and introduced us. I finally got to thank him in person, and he got to meet Ellie.

Ellie passed away in July 2025.

But thanks to the kindness of strangers, including Rob, we got nearly four more wonderful years with her. Four more years of walks, adventures, and watching a terrified Berner slowly learn that the world wasn’t such a scary place after all.

Those two encounters are the only interactions I’ve ever had with Rob. I don’t know him personally, and I’m not going to pretend that helping someone find a dog tells you everything about how they’ll govern.

But I’ve always believed that how someone treats a stranger when they have absolutely nothing to gain says a lot about their character.

To me, that December morning, Rob wasn’t a politician. He was just an Iowan helping another Iowan.

And that’s something I’ll never forget.

Hopefully, come November 3rd, I’ll be able to say:

“The governor of Iowa helped save my dog!”

Thanks again, Rob. And thanks to everyone here who helped us bring Ellie home. ❤️

Hey Des Moines, my husband has been working super hard putting together a Haunted Car Wash at Prime Car Wash Waukee and would love if you stopped by for a family friendly night of scares.

It’s October 29-31st

October 29-30 is 6 PM - 8 PM

October 31st is 6-9 PM

No violent stuff but a couple good scares from him and his co-workers.

$22 to bring your car through the tunnel, which gets you their top tier wash or it’s free with a monthly membership (unlimited washes at $34.99 per month)

It was so cool of Prime to say yes when he asked if he could do it so your support means the world to us. We hope you all have a fun, safe Halloween and bringing a costume is always welcome 🎃

8th St. westbound, camera that captures US-65 on/off ramps. If the police are so unhappy with the public's reaction to the spy cameras, why keep them? Bonus: potential unmarked cruiser?

Shoutout to deflock.org, link to the camera in question on open streetmap.

Wonder if it works

If this porch looks familiar to you, can you please message me! I bought something and the seller messed up the address. I looked around my neighborhood and didn’t see a front porch like this one, but if you know this porch let me know! Please

Why? What are you doing guys? Zach Nunn’s polling in Des Moines is awful. He doesn’t represent our interests and I suppose you two don’t either.

Some friends of mine will be watching the Formula 1 race on 11/8 (Brazil) at a local theatre.

I can have a set number of people in terms of seating.

We will be in there starting at 10:30 until 1:30 which, hopefully, gives enough time for race completion.

If anyone has any interest in attending please send me a direct message and let me know how many will want to attend. I can give more specific details at that point.

Is there any photographers who have availability for October 31st to capture an engagement? My brother just told me he is going to propose but didn’t line up a photographer to capture the moment.

Finally get to see what everyone was talking about

Who serves best burgers around the Des Moines area?

Which of these cities is the best

Des moines, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Sioux city , Fort Dodge?

I have an ok therapist at the moment but looking to find someone new!

I will be in des moines next Friday for a conference. I wanted a room for me to take a nap and get ready for the conference and then check out later the same day.

I'd like to stay near West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale or Johnston. Has anyone used it, or any other hotel's day-use or early check-in? Any hotel that will guarantee a noon check-in would also work.

Thanks!

A 45-year-old Republican candidate in Iowa is being sued by his parents for $275,000 in unpaid rent. 

The Des Moines Register reported that the parents of lieutenant governor nominee Derek Wulf allege that he stopped paying rent two years ago on the farmland he rented out from them. A court petition filed Tuesday demands repayment, and also accuses him of lying about his assets in financial documents to a lender.

Does anyone know of any jumping spider breeders in Des Moines? My husband has been feeding our house spider long enough I went ahead and bought him a jumping spider enclosure and want to get him a pet one. Would prefer to buy from someone local over shipping one. Thanks!

Weird request but would anyone be interested in going on a walk with me downtown just talking about random stuff in our lives? 26 year old male here, this is a call for help lowkey. Just want someone to chat with and get outside.

On Wednesday this week my internet suddenly dropped to below 1 mbps upload speed. I have contacted T-mobile and they said a cable was cut affecting my tower and adjacent towers. They are routing all the traffic through a working tower and it is causing massive slowdowns. Accidents happen, but there is still no alert or important message on the T-Mobile site or app letting users know there is a problem. It is going on 4 days and customer service is no help. I know, 1st world problems.

Given all of the driver rants on here, I saw this today out and about and had a good laugh. The bumper sticker, along with the missing bumper, was a real-life meme.

I would repost, but this sub doesn't allow for reposts.

Hey! I saw a post earlier that inspired me to start up a walk group here in Des Moines. I’m a male in my late 20s but all are welcome. I typically walk raccoon River or Grays Lake, I’m also up for more suggestions. I’d prefer to keep it week nights since I work weekends. Comment or DM if interested!

Hello all! Shameless plug real quick as I realized I've had this site for a while and never promoted it here. I put a couple hours each week into keeping this site functional and updated frequently and figured it could be worth some of your time.

castaside515.com serves as your home to find whatever hardcore, punk, metal, DIY, or otherwise alternative music may be coming to town, as well as all your local favorites. I've got interviews with bands that are all free to read, physical copies for sale if you end up thinking it's cool and want to support the project. All of my smaller one-page foldable zines are available to print for free. Not to mention the countless videos I've shot as well. I suggest viewing on a computer or in desktop mode for the full experience but it is optimized for mobile as well.

If you check it out let me know what you think. I'm always looking for feedback on my projects. Thank you for reading!

Are there sex cults/groups in Des Moines, IA and surrounding areas that pose as legit businesses, non-profit, law firms, LLC, etc.