Hero keeps the day from going to the dogs in Girard, Ohio

April 30 was just another Friday at Petro in Girard, Ohio, until a panicked guest rushed into the store and asked General Manager Kerry Khoury if she had a maintenance worker on site. “Yes, we do,” she replied. “What do you need?”

“My two puppies just fell in a hole in your back grass area,” he replied. While heading for the back doors with Fuel Cashier AJ Hamil, Kerry quickly called Facility Maintenance Technician Bob Stanko and said, “meet me at the back doors ASAP!” Unclear about what the driver was referring to, AJ and Kerry walked out through the grass.

Still not seeing any puppies, they approached the fence line and there, buried in the grass, was an open drainpipe. About five feet down were two adorable but scared puppies looking up at them. The guest said he was letting them play in the grass and suddenly they just disappeared! Too far down to reach by hand, they knew they needed a plan.

Then, Kerry remembered the long-handled grabber sticks used to clean the fence line. Bob said, “We can try!” AJ got the grabbers and Bob laid down and began trying to wrap the handle around the little front legs of one of the puppies, hoping he could bring it up high enough to grab it. After several tries, he got one puppy out and began to work on the second. Bob did a great job trying to keep the puppy calm and not let him go further down the drain.

After a few more tries, success! And out came the furry friend. The driver was so relieved and grateful to have the precious duo back, he asked for a photo of his “hero” Bob and the puppies. Puppies saved, a happy guest and a re-capped drainpipe, all thanks to Bob.