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Picking up a stray dog


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This story was relayed to me from one of my customers just the other day.

 

We got on the subject of dogs, big ones, little ones, and the ones we had as a child. My customer, Mike, was standing there ... in my lobby... with this half grin, half shock look on his face.... He said, "Gonzo, let me tell you a story" This is how it went.

 

My brothers wife has this habit of thinking she is going to save the world and every living creature from harm no matter what it takes to accomplish this task. She was driving by an old cemetary when she noticed a large dog with no collar, full of burrs and looked like it hadn't eaten in a week. "Must be a stray honey, I'm stopping the car," she said. Now my brother who was sitting in the passenger seat has learned over the years not to say much about his wife's activities. Because eventually things always end up back as his problem. This didn't seem like such a bad thing ... it's just a dog you know.

 

His wife got out of the car and opened the rear door. She yelled over to the dog, "Come here boy" and the dog took off for the car, jumped in the back seat .. puts it's paws on the back of the front seat and licks his face. So far things are looking good.

 

They got home and took the leash off the dog and put him in the backyard. My brother and his wife walked thru the house and out the back sliding door to see where the dog had gone to. In a flash the dog whipped between the two of them and right into the house. My brother ran in after him. Just in time to find the dog in the corner with the family cat sticking out of both sides of its mouth. He ran over straddled the dog who by now was thrashing the poor cat from one wall to wall. He reached with both hands and pryed the cat out of the dogs mouth. By this time he has a sever gash on his right leg from the claws of this unkept dog and an even worse bite that nearly took of the tip of one of his fingers off.

 

Mad as can be, and partially bandage up he grabbed the dog and threw him back in the car. Of course by now the poor dog was wimpering and for the most part realized he had done something wrong. But my brother has already had enough. So back to the cemetary he went with the dog. When he got there he opened the car door and said "GET"... the dog jumped out and he drove off....

 

That is until the police officer turn on his sirens and pulled him over... "Ah, sir, is that your dog?" "no" "Well, there is an ordinance for abandaning animals in the city limits.... that will be a five hundred dollar fine." "WHAT! the dog bit me, damned near killed our cat... my wife spotted the dog here just hours ago... Look, I've got to go to the emergency room for stiches." "The dog bit you, and it's not your dog... well, we have to call the vet... you'll need checked for rabies"

 

At the vets office he was informed that he will either need weeks of shots and the dog will have to be put down... which will cost quite a bit. Or, you can have the dog put down, the dogs head sent off to have the brain stem checked for rabies and it will only take two or three days.

 

That'll be another $500.00 to add my brothers ever growing bill.... After finally getting to the emergency room, with the stiches, x-rays, medication, vet bill, state exam for rabies, the ticket no less for abandaning an animal... His wife cost him nearly 3000.00 dollars for picking up some stary dog that licked him in the face.

 

I think that'll be the last time that ever happens at his house again.

Edited by Gonzo
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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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