Our minds work better when we are well-rested.
We are more alert, and we have better judgment when we have enough sleep. Else, we become irritable and would not care whatever is going on around us.
However, some professions need to work long hours.
Nurses, doctors, police officers, and those who work in the service industry. Aside from the long hours, they also need to stay alert because their jobs require them. Sometimes we wonder how they do that!
Can you imagine yourself working three consecutive 12-hour shifts?
We bet most of us can’t. But this police officer had one of those long assignments, yet his alertness, judgment, and (most importantly) compassion never waned along with his energy.
Officer Kareem Garibaldi was patrolling the streets of Florida one night.
He was about to finish his third consecutive 12-hour shift and would love to call it a day. However, he noticed a stray puppy who seemed lost. He took the poor dog with him to the police station to check if someone had reported a lost dog.
There was no report of a lost dog, but he couldn’t leave the dog behind.
Despite being tired and already done with his shift, Officer Garibaldi went above and beyond for this Pitbull-Boxer mix. He took the puppy to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to have her checked.
Though he was tired and very sleepy, he never left the pup’s side.
He stayed and waited for their turn. All he wanted was to know that the puppy was safe and would get the proper medical attention she might need. But both police officer and puppy fell asleep in the waiting area – and this scene was the picture that captured the hearts of many.
SPCA’s Local Safety Manager, Connie Johnson, took this photo.
She was on her way out when she saw the sleeping officer with the puppy beside him. She took a photo of that moment because it struck her heartstrings how this tired police officer never left the puppy’s side. Even more impressive because it wasn’t even his dog!
She posted this, and people praised the kind officer.
This even caught the attention of Congressman Dennis A. Ross, who later awarded Officer Garibaldi the Hometown Hero Award. The officer didn’t expect this recognition, especially since he was just doing his job.
“I’m a dog owner myself, and just seeing that puppy out there kind of broke my heart. It was just one of those things. I wanted to just give it a fighting chance,” Officer Garibaldi said during the awarding ceremony.
Because of his compassion, the puppy found a new home.
The puppy was then named Hope and was adopted to a new family when SPCA could never trace her to any possible owner. Who knows what happened to Hope if it weren’t for the kind officer.
Office Garibaldi also had one reminder for all of us:
“With everything that’s going on around the world, just do one small little thing just to try to make it better. Just make a difference one day at a time.”
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