Every dog owner knows that keeping dogs entertained is far from easy. Their owners are their primary source of entertainment, and if they don’t get that, they’ll surely find other activities of their own. And that situation most often leads to chewed up shoes and furniture. In short, a bored pup will most likely cause trouble. With puppy daycares closed amid the pandemic, those who still report for work have to make a tough choice. They either have to leave their pooches alone at home or bring them along to work.
For FedEx driver Daniel Nava, it was better to bring his pups with him than leave them lonely at home. His two dachshunds, Chorizo and Cocoa, used to play with their friends at their puppy daycare at least three times a week. However, when COVID-19 hit, the facility closed down. So, to keep them active, he decided to bring them along as delivery helpers on his daily trips.
At first, Daniel was a bit hesitant about bringing them along with him. But as it turns out, there was nothing to worry about. His supervisor was very supportive of his idea. Plus, the two pups are loving the attention they’re getting from people they meet every day!
“The decision to bring them with me on deliveries was not easy but my supervisor is very understanding,” Daniel told The Dodo. “Also I had brought them with me before with no safety issues — I have them on a harness that is anchored down to my seat while we drive.”
As long as having them didn’t distract him from the job, the dogs were free to assist him. The two sit on a little rug on the truck and wear leashes that are “short enough for them to remain close and long enough for them to be comfortable.”
The puppies have lived with him since they were eight weeks old. In an interview with Bored Panda, Daniel talked about how he came to adopt them.
“We always wanted to adopt or rescue a Dachshund, but at the time we couldn’t find any in our area, then one day we found a puppy for sale and decided to just go ahead and get it. And we named him Chorizo. Coco came to us from a litter of one of my mother-in-law’s friends, even though they are not direct siblings they love each other very much,” he said.
The first time he brought them along to work was on a Christmas Eve. Although he doesn’t remember why the dogs weren’t in puppy daycare that day, he remembers how much fun they had soaking up the attention of people who wanted to take a picture with them.
So far, Chorizo and Cocoa have been excellent assistants. They’ve been very well-behaved that Daniel decided to give them a more professional look. Using his old shirts, he made them matching work uniforms. For added bling, he also bought two doggy sunglasses from Amazon. The pair brings so much happiness to people who see them marching around wearing their adorable outfits!
With these two dogs, work and play come together. Aside from enjoying their route, they also get to spend some time running around the local neighborhood parks when Daniel brings them there.
Daniel said that he just got an email from the puppy daycare saying that they will be reopening soon. While he knows that Chorizo and Cocoa miss their furry friends there, he may still let them tag along at work once in a while.
“When they are not at daycare, they will probably be wearing FedEx shirts and sunglasses,” he said.
I think we can all agree these two are the cutest FedEx deliver workers ever! If you want to keep up with their latest adventures, you may follow Chorizo and Cocoa on Instagram.