A Lowe's hardware store in Abilene, Texas is feeling the love from shoppers after the company hired a U.S. veteran and his service dog. Air Force vet Clay Luthy was reportedly having a tough time finding work due to his best pal, a golden retriever dog named Charlotte, but the department store decided to make an exception and offer both of them the job.
"We were interviewing people for his position and he was one of the applicants. And so he showed up for the interview and he had Charlotte with him," Human Resource Manager, Jay Fellers, told KRBC.
Luthy served on a C-130 military transport aircraft in the Air Force until he "blew out" both of his knees, the Abilene Reporter News stated. Even after five surgeries, Luthy is still unable to bend his left knee, which is where 10-year-old Charlotte comes in. "Instead of medications, I have Charlotte," Luthy told KRBC. "I got her as a puppy. And she was never supposed to be a service dog. I found out a couple years ago she was alerting me and I didn’t even know it." Luthy admitted that he wasn't sure of what company would take a retired vet and his trusty sidekick, but decided to try his luck at Lowe's.
Nowadays, Charlotte can be spotted no more than a couple of feet away from her owner, trailing through the aisles. She's even become close with some of the customers, Luthy revealed. "Everybody loves Charlotte. This definitely was not part of the job description," Luthy told the Reporter News.
After one customer uploaded a photo of Luthy and Charlotte in support of Lowe's new hire, many other shoppers followed, sending their praises to the hardware store for honoring the nation's vets. Unfortunately, Charlotte will be throwing in the towel on her service soon. But Luthy said he has been training a 6-month-old retriever named Lola to take her place. As for Charlotte, she'll most likely spend the rest of her days bringing joy to hospital kids.
