Mailmen and dogs are one of the oldest enemies known to humans, but one such pair in Boulder, Colorado are defying that age-old idea.
When Jeff Kramer’s route first took him past a black Labrador’s home, he was surprised that the dog, Tashi, came up to him, tail wagging.
“As fast as he could — which was not very fast — he ran up to me tail wagging, first day I met him,” Jeff told the Boulder Daily Camera in 2017. “He’s just a really friendly dog. And I am a dog person, and they can tell.”
The two became fast friends.
Tashi loved Jeff.
“Tashi would hang outside and would always get so excited when Jeff came. He would always try to pull me towards the mail truck,” Karen Dimetrosky, Tashi’s owner, said.
But there came a time when Tashi wasn’t able to move as easily without assistance which made greeting Jeff difficult.
“I didn’t realize how much trouble [Tashi] was having until I saw them actually carry him up the stairs,” Jeff told TODAY. “I remembered my dog having the same problem, and it’s sad.”
At 14 years of age, Tashi became unable to make it up and down the front porch steps, so family members would have to carry him, all 70 pounds.
That’s when Jeff got an idea.
Several years prior, Jeff’s dog Odie, who had since passed away, needed a ramp to get in and out of the house. Suddenly, Odie’s ramp had a new purpose.
Jeff dropped the lumber off at the Dimetroskys’ home, but the family was unable to build a ramp themselves. So, one Sunday Jeff constructed a ramp just for Tashi.
Not only was the ramp a tremendous help for Tashi, it gave him a sense of independence, but it helped the family as well.
“He potentially prolonged his life because my husband and I both pulled our back out by lifting Tashi on and off the porch,” Karen said.
“Jeff is just a compassionate letter carrier who possesses a love for animals.”
Thank you, Jeff for being so kind with animals. You absolutely made Tashi’s life better.
Share this to thank Jeff for his generosity!
