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ToquiNotes: How Kindness of City Worker Leads to Reunion with Golden Doodle Cooper and Dog's Family

By Jeff Toquinto on January 21, 2017 from ToquiNotes via Connect-Bridgeport.com

When you’ve worked for the City of Bridgeport’s Public Works Department for roughly 20 years and deal with issues that frequently come up, chances are good you’ve seen a lot of things. Such is the case with city veteran Kenneth “Tiny” Grimes, one of the most popular workers the City of Bridgeport has under its banner.
 
And once you read this, you’ll find out why Grimes has a few other people that think pretty highly of him.
 
It was on a recent Sunday morning when Grimes was called out to handle issues with inclement weather. A snow system had moved through the area and Grimes was busy plowing the roads.
 
That, in and of itself, was not unusual. In fact, when a dog approached the plow around Pennsylvania Avenue that, too, was not unusual or even the fact that the dog was following him.
 
“I initially about hit him with the plow, but he went off to the side. Once I would take off and put the plow down he just kept chasing the truck and braking,” said Grimes.
 
Then, it got a little concerning. The dog followed and barked onto Del Dew, the on the way to Lawman Avenue and finally onto Olive Street.
 
“By the time I was at Olive I was getting a little bit more worried he may jump out in front of me and when you have that big truck sometimes a quick stop in the snow isn’t automatic,” said Grimes. “I decided when I got onto Olive that I was going to chase him off so he wouldn’t get hurt and he could head home.”
 
Again, dealing with dogs are part of the job that Grimes and other city workers encounter. What happened when he opened the door to try and get this cute dog to head elsewhere was out of the norm.
 
“When I opened the door, he just jumped right in with me. Actually, he jumped right onto my lap, seemed pretty relaxed and jumped into the seat next to me,” said Grimes, who suddenly had some unexpected company on this Sunday morning. “He was at ease, but he would bark every time I dropped the plow.”
 
Grimes said he knew the dog had an owner because it had tags and ID on its collar. However, he couldn’t make it out so he knew the best thing to do was finish his route and get help with the identification when he got back to the public works garage.
 
“We went almost to Broadway and then I headed back and got help with the number and the address that was on the tag,” said Grimes. “The tag said the dog’s name was Cooper and he was really friendly.”
 
Grimes found out the dog’s home was on North Street. And one lady more than happy to see Kenneth “Tiny” Grimes and her dog Cooper was MariElena Oliverio.
 
“I was so relieved because I was in the shower when he jumped the fence. He’s a jumper and occasionally does that, but he rarely leaves our immediate area,” said Oliverio. “To see Cooper come home was just such a great feeling.”

There’s a little more to her happiness in this case. A few years ago, Oliverio had another dog she loved dearly that was a jumper, but he – like Cooper – didn’t do it too often and generally stayed right in the immediate area.
 
“She was run over so had (Grimes) not got in touch with us relatively fast I’m certain there would have been some serious worry,” said Oliverio.
 
The Oliverio’s have two other dogs as well. And when their last dog was killed, Cooper joined the family.
 
“If he does get out, he knows all the neighbors and is buddies with a neighborhood dog, which is generally as far as he goes,” said Oliverio. “I’ve wondered why he followed the truck so far and I think I know why.”
 
Oliverio said her husband Joey drives a white truck as well. If Cooper is out and sees the truck he either takes off toward home or gets into the truck to be taken home.
 
“I think he may have gotten confused and why he was following and ended up jumping right in,” said Oliverio about her three-year-old Golden Doodle that is a rescue dog. “I’m just glad he’s home and I’m so very thankful to (Grimes) and he was so nice. He didn’t have to do what he did, because along with watching out for the roads he was watching out for our dog. If he would have just kept driving, who knows where he would have ended up?”
 
As for Grimes, it’s just part of the job.
 
“That’s one of the most unique encounters I had,” said Grimes. “When they end like that you don’t really mind it at all.”
 
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Cooper enjoying some warmth inside a City of Bridgeport truck. Second photo shows Cooper enjoying time with Joey Oliverio, while bottom two photos are of Cooper with his roommates, Isaac and Keen, respectively.


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