โYou donโt expect to see a person in the road. Let alone a person with a dog.โ
But, that was exactly what TriMet bus driver Mike Thomas saw one evening when he was on his usual Line 54 route to the Portland City Center in Oregon!
It was to be an eventful day at work for Mike. A very surprising one at that.
The car in front of the bus had just swerved to avoid a man standing in the middle of the road.
This guy was acting like walking towards traffic was a totally normal thing to do!
Mike slowed down the bus and thatโs when he noticed there was a cute pup by the manโs side.
But, the dog didnโt seem to be too keen about his owner and pulled away when the man grabbed his collar.
The stranger approached and asked to be let on board, and Mike agreed out of concern for their safety.
But, for some reason the man let go of the yellow labโs collar as if he was planning to leave the poor little guy behind!
When the driver asked if the yellow lab was his, the supposed dog owner said
โYes, but heโs OK.โ
Of course, Mike didnโt believe him and insisted that he bring the pup with him.
โI said, โNo you need to get your dog, heโs in the road.โ So he called. He said โcome here,โ but he didnโt say the dogโs name. The dog came back and he pulled the dog on by the collar.โ
Mike knew in his gut that something wasnโt right, especially since the guy didnโt call the dog by his name, which happened to be Cooper.
He continued to let the odd charade play out until he could figure out what to do.
Mike kept his eyes and ears open, and when the man started chatting with the pretty young woman who sat next to him, Mike listened in on their conversation.
However, the bus driver was stunned when he heard the man ask if she wanted to take the dog home with her!
Thatโs when Mike knew that Cooper and his supposed owner did not actually belong together. This was a lost dog, and he had been found by the wrong person!
โThings didnโt fit together so I let him know that I just wasnโt buying it.โ
Mikeโs got great instincts. And instead of ignoring it, he went in to action.
It would be quite a while before the bus would reach its final destination in downtown Portland.
So, Mike endeavored to keep an eye on Cooper, who was happy to just lounge around and play with his tennis ball.
Now most people wouldnโt bother going beyond their job description, but for such a cute dog?
Anyone would!
About an hour later when they finally arrived at the end of the line, the stranger started to hop off the bus with Cooper.
But, Mike quickly intervened and saved the dog from an unknown fate.
โI grabbed Cooperโs collar and said the dogโs gonna stay with me. I would be getting him back to his family.โ
What a great guy!
Cooperโs real mama is Jane Murphy, who was vacationing in Hawaii at the time.
The pooch was being watched by her son, but the wily doggo he either escaped or was stolen while Janeโs son was at work that night.
She panicked when she heard her pup was on the lam! Thankfully, she later received a message on her phone that put her at ease.
โYour dog has been found. Heโs on a TriMet bus. He was brought back home a little after midnight by the transit police.โ
Jane wanted to thank Mike for his kindness, so she sent him a picture sent him a picture of Cooper that said โThank you for bringing me back home to my family.โ
She went on to say:
โIt brings great pride that there are some really good people in this world. Who are willing to go out that extra mile for our four-legged animals.โ
And weโre pretty sure that Cooper really was grateful for Mike guarding him and helping him find his way home!
In a news release, TriMet said that their bus drivers can do it all.
โThey get thousands of people safely where they need to go every day. They provide customer service, give direction and offer assistance. And in the case of operator Mickeal โMikeโ Thomas, they even rescue dogs.โ
Thatโs right they do! Everyone was happy, Cooper is home safe and sound, and the company got free marketing as a result. Every dog does have its day!
Watch the story unfold in the video below!
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