In December, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) received an email stating that “leaf collection men helped save my dog – KUDOS.” The three heroic MCDOT Highway Services’ employees were Donald Thompson, Keith Howard and Doug Jones – all from Highway’s Silver Spring Depot.
This started on Saturday, December 3, when three large dogs bolted away from their dog walker to attack a dog being walked by its owner. The dog owner laid down on his beloved pet in the middle of the street to shield it from the other dogs. Lying face down, he heard a friendly voice telling him that it was safe to get up. Thompson, Howard and Jones who had been nearby working on one of MCDOT’s leaf vacuum collection crews saw what was happening and came to the rescue. They grabbed the attacking dogs’ leashes to pull them away and return them to the dog walker. The owner’s dog was unharmed, but the shaken gentleman felt he did not properly thank the men who acted so quickly to help – and that is when he wrote to MCDOT to explain what had happened.
“I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for their willingness to take this action,” said the dog owner.
“I commend Donald Thompson, Keith Howard and Doug Jones, who didn’t hesitate to go above and beyond during a difficult situation and take fast action to help someone,” said MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh upon receiving the email. “To the dog owner, these three employees are real heroes. And they are to us, too. Our MCDOT staff are special – they are dedicated and hardworking and do an exemplary job. That’s why it’s always so great to hear from residents not only about efforts that our staff make in extraordinary circumstances, but also about the great service they provide day in and day out.”
