A UPS driver went above and beyond his job, he made a ‘special delivery service’ to a customer during the holidays.
Darrell Slack stated that he was carrying out Christmas package deliveries on Cyber Monday and Paula Odom, a Turtletown resident in Tennessee, alerted him to her missing Jack Russell Terrier.
Paula told him that their seven-year-old dog, Pete, had escaped their front porch and hadn’t come home since.
Darrell, a UPS driver who has been driving for 29 years, assured the worried pet owner he would find Pete.
The woman explained that the pop was a runner and that she feared he might have wandered into the Cherokee National Forest, which surrounds their home.
“In that forest there are coyotes, there are bears…my fear was that Pete is not mountain-wise and wouldn’t know what to do in a situation like that and the chance we’d see him again was slim to none,” Paula told FOX Business.
Perry, her husband had tried to find Pete. Paula had to get help from an outsider. That person was Darrell.
Despite his hectic schedule the gracious driver agreed that he would help in the search and promised to keep an eye on Pete. He even took an extra route to search for him.
He was able to find the dog within minutes. Darrell saw Pete in his peripheral vision as he approached a remote area. He found the dog in the woods.
Darrell is always prepared for these kinds of situations. In his UPS truck, Darrell keeps dog biscuits for any emergency.
“You have some that initially don’t want to warm up to you, but after you feed them for a week or so, they’re running to the truck, they’re glad to see you,” he told WRCBtv.
That’s exactly what happened with Pete. After giving the dog a treat, Darrell called Pete’s name and the pup came running. Darrell was able grab the leash still attached to the pup and took him inside his car.
With a furry companion onboard, Darrell finished his remaining deliveries before driving back to Paula’s address to make the extra special delivery.
“As he held Pete in his arms I just about collapsed,” Paula recalled. “I was overjoyed.”
“He means joy, a lot of fun, and he is the love of my life,” she said. “I was absolutely in tears and just thought I’d never see him again.
Paula said it was a special delivery service and “by far the best package” she has ever received.
“It speaks volumes — especially right now at Christmas,” she said of Darrell.
As for the driver who made the special delivery service, who said he knows what it’s like to have lost a dog, he doesn’t want to take too much credit for what he did.
Darrell said he just happened to be “at the right place at the right time,” and he didn’t do anything that the people in that neighborhood wouldn’t do for him. He’s just glad that the Odoms didn’t have to spend the holidays worrying about their missing pup.
“This area is a home away from home for me and a lot of drivers feel the same way,” he said. “I just love these people and when I need them, they’re there for me.”
We’re so glad that this dog made it home just in time for Christmas—and it’s all thanks to a kind delivery driver who took time out of his busy day to find him!
Watch the video to learn more about this story.
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