A show of care and empathy by a Georgia Department of Transportation worker this week helped soften the heartbreaking blow a woman received when she found her missing service dog dead in the road.
The agency’s East Traffic account posted the story on Wednesday, detailing Eugene Taylor’s efforts to help a stranger in a difficult moment.
Rodney Way, a state maintenance liaison, came across the woman trying to walk through breaks in traffic on I-20 in Warren County and noticed that she was trying to reach the dog which appeared to have been hit by a car.
Taylor, the Warren County maintenance foreman, was called to the situation.
It would have been an easy situation for Taylor to try to just to get it over with. Days are long, working outside in the heat is difficult, and public works employees are not trained to be counselors.
But Taylor took the care to do it right and do it compassionately.
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He reportedly comforted the woman, and “picked up the deceased service dog, wrapped it with care, and helped her place it in her truck,” according to 11Alive’s Kaitlyn Ross.
“It may not seem like much in the scheme of things considering what these men do and encounter daily,” the East Traffic account posted. “However, this citizen, though very distraught, was appreciative of Eugene’s quick response and care given in the removal and preparation for transport of her dog.”
GDOT thanked Taylor in the tweet, writing out the hashtags #selfless, #service, #dedicated and #thankyou.
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