That’s Some Solid Humanity At Work Right There

I’m the OP from these stories. We had a three-station self-service dog wash, which was extremely popular as the area has a lot of farms, is close to a lot of hiking trails and hunting areas, and has a large number of dog show enthusiasts.

A customer came in one day with three, yes, THREE full-grown Saint Bernards to give them all baths. Fortunately, she wasn’t an idiot: she brought them in one at a time, and it was in the fall, so it was safe for them to be in the car with the windows cracked for a longer time. She assured us the two that remained in her truck had a water and food bowl each, plus toys, blankets, and enough space to move and lie down (I don’t know trucks, but I could see hers from the storefront and it was HUGE, so I believed her that the dogs had space enough to be comfortable). She and her delightful drool monsters (who we of course asked to pet and give treats) spent somewhere around five to six hours in the store, cycling one dog at a time and using the same tub so the other two were open to other customers.

Unfortunately, one St. Bernard got a little too relaxed during her bath and leaned her roughly 130lbs weight against the spigot, causing the elbow joint to bend and block the water flow. The customer apologized profusely, but my manager assured her it was a cheap, simple fix that just required someone to run out for a new elbow joint. The customer switched the dog to another tub, and my manager took apart the affected spigot, removing the dented elbow joint.

With that in hand, he grabbed a few $20’s from one of the tills and gave them to me with the joint and a request to go to the nearby hardware store, where they wear orange aprons, for a new one, telling me not to bother clocking out for the run.

I knew less about plumbing then than I learned to retell this anecdote, so I was trying to match the piece purely by sight. Fortunately, an employee walked by just as I was considering going to ask for help.

Employee: “Hi there! How can I help you today?”

Me: “Oh, perfect timing! I’m over at [Pet Store], we need a new piece for one of our dog wash tubs, and I know almost nothing about plumbing, so I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”

Employee: *Laughing good-naturedly.* “No worries, can I just see that?”

I handed him the elbow joint, and he examined it quickly, his eyes widening when he saw how deeply dented it was.

Employee: “Geez, what kind of dog was it?”

Me: “Saint Bernard.”

Employee: “Ah, yeah, that’ll do it.”

He turned to the wall of pipe fittings, then looked back at the elbow joint I handed him with a thoughtful expression before glancing up and down the aisle.

Employee: “Okay, I’m not supposed to do this, but follow me.”

He led me to a small workshop in the back of the store and sat down at a vise, putting the elbow joint in it.

Employee: “You don’t need to buy a whole new joint; this dent is completely fixable if you just give me a couple minutes.”

Me: “Oh wow, thank you! I really appreciate it!”

We chatted while he fixed the dented joint, with him telling me he had a dog of his own and asking how the dog wash worked and how much it cost, as his dog was a Lab with all the crazy energy that entails, and bathing him at home was a challenge. Within about ten minutes, the elbow joint was fixed. [Employee] checked to make sure there were no cracks or anything before handing the joint back. I thanked him again for the assist and headed back to my store. My manager was surprised when I told him the joint had been fixed for free, but he certainly wasn’t upset.

Later that week, [Employee] came in with his Labrador, waving when he saw me.

Me: “Oh, hi! [Manager], this is the gentleman who fixed our pipe fitting for me the other day.”

Manager: “Hey, really appreciate it, man.”

Employee: “No problem! And hey, your employee told me about your self-service dog bath, and I DESPERATELY need something like that for this wild man.”

Manager: “Absolutely, there are towels and shampoos on the shelves by the tubs, help yourself.”

Employee: “Thanks.”

He took his dog to the bathing station, and I continued with whatever I was doing. My manager quietly told me he’d ring up [Employee] once he was ready to check out. Not too long later, [Employee] had finished his dog’s bath and came up to the registers. [Manager] rang him out, asking if he had a punch card for the dog wash, and making a new one when he said he didn’t.

Manager: *Punching frequent bather card.* “All right, you are all set.”

[Employee] started to pull out his wallet, but [Manager] shook his head.

Manager: “Nah, man, you’re good. You did us a solid, we do you a solid.”

Employee: *Surprised.* “D***, thanks man! I’m definitely bringing [Dog] back here next time he needs a bath!”

Never underestimate the power of the ‘solid!’