Every once in a while, people come across people or scenarios at unexpected times that will leave a mark in their lives. These encounters might be a fleeting memory. Better yet, it can be a memory that will last a lifetime.
The latter is what happened to a man who met a dog in a brief encounter. And it was he himself who made that memory to last a lifetime. He gave home to a dog that once brought him happiness, even in a brief moment.
It was one fateful day of October 5. A New Yorker UPS driver named Jason Coronado was on his duty to deliver parcels in a neighborhood.
That time, a pit bull-terrier mix known as Ernie was strolling around together with his dog walker. Ernie was among those that are housed at the Buffalo City Animal Shelter in New York.
Mr. Coronado remembers clearly that chance encounter. He told news site WKBW that when the dog saw his UPS delivery truck, he immediately hopped into it.
“[I] call him up to the trunk, and he pretty much just hopped in, and I was like ‘Okay.’” Mr. Coronado said about that unexpected meeting. “He hopped up and just sit there and did not want to leave.”
Perhaps it was the warmth of Ernie that drew him closer to Mr. Coronado. That the moment Mr. Coronado left for work, sadness dawned upon him. Mr. Coronado told the news site, “[Ernie] is very joyful. I’m upset I didn’t take him home earlier.”
Their brief encounter was surely hard to forget. Weeks after their meeting, Mr. Coronado still thinks about Ernie. He clearly recalls how the dog did not want to leave his delivery truck. This thought makes Mr. Coronado yearn more for the dog.
About a month after their brief encounter in his delivery truck, Mr. Coronado checked Ernie from the animal shelter. There, he found out that the dog was still up for adoption.
He felt concerned about the loving dog finding his own home. There grew his desire to provide home for the shelter dog.
And so, after thinking it through and asking for his family’s permission, he went back to the Buffalo City Animal Shelter. He went back for Ernie. On the 23rd of November, Ernie is now officially a part of their home. “He is probably my idea of a perfect dog,” said Mr. Coronado.
“I wanted him to have a good home.”
When Mr. Coronado brought Ernie home, he discovered a lot about the dog. Ernie was indeed a sweet and good dog. Mr. Coronado recounted that Ernie follows him around their house.
He found out that Ernie likes to sleep a lot and eat his every treat. He even spoke of Ernie that “he’s just a big lap dog” who wants to be around his family so much.
The story of Mr. Coronado and Ernie is proof that brief encounters can have huge impact on lives. For Mr. Coronado, it is a chance for sharing the love and care he has. For Ernie, it is a chance to be loved and cared for beyond the comforts of an animal shelter.
It is also a reminder that every dog deserves to be loved and cared for. Every dog deserves a house they can treat as their own. Every dog deserves a home.