More voices on restart rollback; And a moving encounter off I-395 in Connecticut | Overdrive - Owner Operators Trucking Magazine
Scott LeVan says a prayer for Ben
It’s a story LeVan, whom regular readers may remember from my story about the sleep apnea situation in the September issue, still “can’t even tell anyone” without choking up, he says. Even typing it out to me he “had to take a moment and gather myself,” he adds. “I wish everyone could feel how happy, but sad, I was and still am, because I know today Ben is in a better place.”
Ben is the name of a German Shepherd who had been wounded in service to the military — LeVan met the dog and its owner Monday afternoon at an I-395 travel plaza in Connecticut. Here’s his story:
I was sitting in my truck at a service plaza on I-395, and I was doing my logs and getting things around for the start of my workday when this older gentlemen came over to my door. He asked if I could help him out for a minute. He needed to get his dog out of the backseat of his four-door pickup… And he started to tear up, and spoke with a broken voice, and told me his dog has hip dysplasia. I said, Of course I would be happy to help. As I got closer to the pickup I could hear the poor dog whimpering, and it just broke my heart, so we got him out of the truck and he was in pain, but he stood the best he could. I let him lean against my legs so he could use the bathroom, but the poor dog was not able to go… His name was Ben, and he was a wounded warrior. He served his country proud, and Ben now has a special place in my heart. As the older gentlemen and I talked, he told me he took him up to the cabin one last time, and “now I’m on my way back to put Ben down.”
Its hard finding the right words to say to a person standing next to you crying. As he told me that, I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Ben will be grateful.” As I walked back to my truck I lost it. This just broke my heart. But I’m glad I could spend a couple minutes and get to know Ben. What a gentle dog he was. I will never forget him.
Scott LeVan says a prayer for Ben
It’s a story LeVan, whom regular readers may remember from my story about the sleep apnea situation in the September issue, still “can’t even tell anyone” without choking up, he says. Even typing it out to me he “had to take a moment and gather myself,” he adds. “I wish everyone could feel how happy, but sad, I was and still am, because I know today Ben is in a better place.”
Ben is the name of a German Shepherd who had been wounded in service to the military — LeVan met the dog and its owner Monday afternoon at an I-395 travel plaza in Connecticut. Here’s his story:
I was sitting in my truck at a service plaza on I-395, and I was doing my logs and getting things around for the start of my workday when this older gentlemen came over to my door. He asked if I could help him out for a minute. He needed to get his dog out of the backseat of his four-door pickup… And he started to tear up, and spoke with a broken voice, and told me his dog has hip dysplasia. I said, Of course I would be happy to help. As I got closer to the pickup I could hear the poor dog whimpering, and it just broke my heart, so we got him out of the truck and he was in pain, but he stood the best he could. I let him lean against my legs so he could use the bathroom, but the poor dog was not able to go… His name was Ben, and he was a wounded warrior. He served his country proud, and Ben now has a special place in my heart. As the older gentlemen and I talked, he told me he took him up to the cabin one last time, and “now I’m on my way back to put Ben down.”
Its hard finding the right words to say to a person standing next to you crying. As he told me that, I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Ben will be grateful.” As I walked back to my truck I lost it. This just broke my heart. But I’m glad I could spend a couple minutes and get to know Ben. What a gentle dog he was. I will never forget him.
