For PNM meter reader Samantha Hernandez, Tuesday started out like any other day. She went behind an office building on Montgomery to check a meter.”I heard the rocks start wrestling and I was like, what was that?!” Hernandez said.She looked around and saw a scared poodle hiding behind the building. “He started limping away from me, I was assuming he was scared frightened and hurt,” Hernandez said.REALTED: Family reunited with missing dog after owner is killed by drunk driverHernandez is not only a PNM employee, she’s also part of a Facebook group that helps with lost and found animals. She took a picture of Otis and posted it on the page, along with the address. Within minutes, Hernandez started getting messages. Within half an hour, Otis was reunited with his family — including Melanie Garcia, the owner of Otis. It was then Samantha learned more about Otis and how he ended up behind that building. Saturday night, Melanie’s boyfriend, Kevin Barton, was killed in a car crash, police say, by a suspected drunk driver.Barton’s three dogs were with him. Two ended up in an animal hospital. Otis ran away. His family was desperate to find him. With Samantha’s help — they did. “I walk on over, I felt like crying just because you could feel all the emotions and I didn’t know that Otis was such a famous dog or anything, I just thought he was a regular dog,” Hernandez said.Hernandez took a photo with Melanie. “I didn’t know that they had something traumatic just happened over the weekend so you know I do wanna give my condolences to the family, right around the corner tomorrow Thanksgiving, so it’s like the perfect timing,” Hernandez said.Hernandez said she is thankful she was in the right place at the right time. She said if she had not seen the injured dog hiding behind the building, she didn’t think he would have survived.
For PNM meter reader Samantha Hernandez, Tuesday started out like any other day. She went behind an office building on Montgomery to check a meter.
“I heard the rocks start wrestling and I was like, what was that?!” Hernandez said.
She looked around and saw a scared poodle hiding behind the building.
“He started limping away from me, I was assuming he was scared frightened and hurt,” Hernandez said.
REALTED: Family reunited with missing dog after owner is killed by drunk driver
Hernandez is not only a PNM employee, she’s also part of a Facebook group that helps with lost and found animals.
She took a picture of Otis and posted it on the page, along with the address. Within minutes, Hernandez started getting messages.
Within half an hour, Otis was reunited with his family — including Melanie Garcia, the owner of Otis.
It was then Samantha learned more about Otis and how he ended up behind that building. Saturday night, Melanie’s boyfriend, Kevin Barton, was killed in a car crash, police say, by a suspected drunk driver.
Barton’s three dogs were with him. Two ended up in an animal hospital. Otis ran away. His family was desperate to find him. With Samantha’s help — they did.
“I walk on over, I felt like crying just because you could feel all the emotions and I didn’t know that Otis was such a famous dog or anything, I just thought he was a regular dog,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez took a photo with Melanie.
“I didn’t know that they had something traumatic just happened over the weekend so you know I do wanna give my condolences to the family, right around the corner tomorrow Thanksgiving, so it’s like the perfect timing,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said she is thankful she was in the right place at the right time. She said if she had not seen the injured dog hiding behind the building, she didn’t think he would have survived.
