Shocking Sight
Hyundai manager, Merson Mariano saw something that he has never seen before. It wasn’t a usual sight and no matter what he did about it, he felt helpless. He did not know what to do anymore about this situation.
The creature in front of him is hungry. He is unsure if he will help it for it might worsen his current situation instead of leaving. He knows that he could do something but he is afraid of the possible consequences.
The Occurrence
It was one day when Mariano was coming to work that he saw this stray dog. It was seated on the pavement in front of the car dealership that he works for. His first instinct was to help the dog but he contemplated deeply about it.
Community Pets
In truth, in Brazil, there are a lot of stray animals just like this one. They are all around the place. Since there are so many of them, they are called “community pets”. These community pets are taken care of by the citizens. They are usually sweet animals with hungry and sad eyes. But since Mariano had seen a lot of these community pets, he decided to ignore this one that was camping in front of the branch he worked at. Unfortunately, he would come to regret that decision.
Conflicted
The truth was that Mariano felt very conflicted about what he did. He wanted to help the dog so bad. He actually loved animals so much. It had been part of his nature to help these strays. He has loved them since he was young. But he could not help them any longer. But not for the reasons you think.
The Reason
Mariano could not help the stray dog anymore because he already had two dogs at home that his family adopted. Though he was making enough money to sustain the needs of his family and the two dogs, he had other priorities in life too like his children’s education among others. He thought that if he helped this dog, he might get attached to it and would want to adopt it also. So even though the dog was shivering there outside the dealership, he ignored it. But that is a decision he would soon regret.
Mariano’s True Feelings
Mariano decided to leave the stray dog alone outside the dealership, cold and unfed. He thought that someone who would take it in and feed it. He tried to work for the rest of the day but he could not help but think of the dog from time to time. He so wanted to do something about it but he does not know what. Then he got an idea.
His Plan
Mariano thought to feed the dog. However, upon contemplating it, he thought that the dog might not leave the dealership anymore if he did that. That could bring trouble to his work as the dog might disturb customers. He wanted to ignore the dog and hoped that it would go someplace else. But then something that was not according to his plan happened.
Gone?
When Mariano went home for the day, he thought that the dog would leave. He tried to shake off the thought from his mind. He thought of other more important things to do. And somehow it worked. That is until he came to a surprise the next day.
What Now?
When Mariano went back to work the next day, the dog was still there! What was stranger was that no matter how hard he would try to shoo it away, it would not leave! And even though the dog was hungry, it looked happy! With this, Mariano felt sympathy for the dog. But what could he do with this newfound situation and with the emotions in his heart?
A Meeting
The dog was too happy in front of the dealership. It would even wag its tail. So Mariano called for a meeting with the other employees. They formulated a plan on what they would do to the dog. They found themselves all feeling sympathy for it as they did not want to send it away. But at the same time, they were worried about work. So they decided to do something.
Love and Care
The employees of the Hyundai branch decided to take in the dog for a couple of days until the time that it regained its health so that they could send it away in peace. With that, they fed the dog and Mariano checked his car to look for a blanket that they could wrap the shivering dog. He found one and the dog seemed even happier! This touched their hearts even more! But there was one inevitable event that occurred next that shocked them all!
Holding their Breaths
Indeed, the employees of the dealership, including Mariano, held their breaths. This is because a customer with his own dog came inside the dealership. It was their first time seeing the stray dog meet another dog. They were all afraid that something bad might happen. The employees had an internal panic and were not able to move. They did not know what they should do. But what happened next made them feel a different set of emotions.
A Cute Sight
They didn’t need to worry because the two canines became great friends! They played together and barked as if they were conversing. But it was a calming and cute sight! They all were able to breathe and laughed at the sight! The stray dog even followed the salesmen around the dealership as if it was a trained dog that also wanted to sell vehicles. That was when Mariano noticed a strange look on the face of the customer.
Strange Behavior
The man looked at the stray dog and he suddenly broke down! Everyone was shocked by the customer’s strange behavior. Why did he cry? Never had they experienced such a thing before. “Are you alright?” Mariano asked him. But he simply shook his head and apologized. Mariano wondered what could have happened.
Comforting the Man
They comforted the man and gave him a glass of water to drink while he pulled himself together. They also gave him a chair to sit on. He was able to compose himself and told them the truth about why he broke down. His story was very surprising and touching.
The Story
The man has been through so much in the past weeks. He had just lost his mother the week before. He did not know what to do next. All that was left of her belongings was her car as he packed up her things already and gave them to charity. When he went to the dealership that day, he asked for a sign. But he was unsure what sign in specific. However, he now thought he had found it. The salesmen looked at each other in confusion.
The Sign
The sign that the man got was when he saw the dog in the dealership. Apparently, this dog looked like his mother’s dog! She got the dog when her husband passed away and they saved each other’s lives. But the story does not end here.
Savior
His mother, Rose, and the dog saved each other. She saw it on the street and decided to take it in one day. The dog was quiet so it was perfect for her since she just moved into an apartment building where neighbors would complain about having a noisy pet. The dog brought her joy after her husband’s passing. She knew that she saved its life but she never thought that it would also save hers. The story took a turn from there.
The Incident
Rose and the dog lived peacefully until one day, while the old woman was sleeping, a fire broke out in the building. Rose was not able to wake up herself but the dog woke her up. She was able to get out of the building just in time before the apartment burned to ashes. Rose was so thankful for the existence of the dog. Indeed, they saved each other! But the story goes on…
The Continuation
Rose and the dog lived happily for eight years until the dog passed due to old age. Even after that, Rose was happy as she had great memories to live with. She treasured them all and she never forgot the dog until her own passing. But this is not yet the end of the story.
Are Miracles True?
The man asked Mariano to come outside with him to show him something that made him believe in miracles. He wanted to show that he was not crazy. Mariano went with him and opened the trunk of his car. There, he saw a box of Rose’s belongings. He opened it and was shocked to see a blue collar with a metal tag. The tag said “Tucson”. And the dog in the dealership was clearly standing beside a Hyundai Tucson!
Lightbulb Moment
With this happening, Mariano felt like he received a sign himself. He did not believe in miracles nor in destiny but it felt like the universe was telling him something. He felt troubled because he knew that he could not take the dog in anymore. But that was when he had a lightbulb moment and had a great idea.
Hyundai is the Best!
Hyundai claims to be “pet-friendly”. This gave Mariano the idea of telling the higher-ups the about adopting the dog. Since the dog has shown friendliness towards other dogs and enthusiasm towards vehicles, then it would not be difficult to train. He immediately told his co-workers about his idea and they all thought of it as a great plan. Then he was set to act.
Communication and Waiting
Mariano immediately sent an email to the management of Hyundai and patiently waited for their response. He had a lot of ideas in his head. Nonetheless, he never imagined that what would come next would be a lot better than everything he had ever thought of.
Go or No?
The higher-ups at Hyundai gave them a response soon after. They got a go signal for the idea! Hyundai even gave them more than what they asked for. They gave them a budget for the necessities of the dog as well as for cameras to be installed to ensure the dog’s safety when it was alone in the dealership after the employees had gone home. However, something was missing.
Incomplete
Things felt incomplete as they had not yet named the dog! After much deliberation, they decided to name him Tucson Prime. This made the dog very much excited. He received his own employee badge and was named the mascot and canine ambassador of the branch. Soon, people recognized him and he became a popular attraction in the dealership. He even became a famous influencer on social media! But it did not end here.
A Trip
The dog became famous and a lot of people started sending it gifts. People even began visiting the dealership to see Tucson Prime! This reached the higher-ups of Hyundai that they wanted to see the dog themselves also! That was when they got an invitation. And this was not an ordinary invitation! It was a very special trip!
Hyundai Plants
Tucson Prime, together with the employees of the dealership were invited to visit the Hyundai plants. They went there and everyone was ecstatic! The employees had a very special opportunity. The higher-ups were delighted to see the dog. And Tucson Prime himself was very happy to see everyone! They gave him belly rubs and took pictures! He won the hearts of everyone he met! Then one of the bosses approached Mariano.
Next Chapter
The marketing team talked to Mariano in hopes of having Tucson star in commercials that would be aired nationwide! He would really become the face of Hyundai! They agreed and did so. Everyone was so happy with this next chapter in their lives. Mariano thought hard about his decisions and felt emotions stir inside him.
Happily Ever After
Mariano did regret his decision of not helping the dog at first and was glad that he changed his mind. His decisions made people happier and now he knows that he did something good. He looked back on everything that happened and he knew immediately where the decisions came from. They came from love. It does not hurt to be a good person and help those in need, whether they may be other humans or animals. Mariano felt proud and looked at Tucson lovingly.