The story about how a dog bite me while working a night shift as a delivery boy at Pizza Hut.
While in college I used to work at Pizza Hut to procure money for my expenses. While I was very grateful to Pizza Hut for the little but very useful money I could receive every 15 days, one night while delivering a pizza to a customer I was bitten by a dog.
On a rainy night I was sent to deliver a pizza to Mr. J, a man in his mid or late 40s (initials to keep his name private). It was raining but I was happy because if you have been a pizza delivery boy, you know that maybe the tips could be better during rainy or snowy days.
After arriving to Mr. J's house, I opened the gate of his fence and knocked at his door. The rain was getting heavier and it was very dark around his house. Mr. J turned on an outside light, said "Hello Pizza Boy", gave me $15.00 dollars (or so I believe) and before allowing me to say "thank you", he said "keep the change" and shut the door. - A quick calculation: His invoice was 14.75 so 15.00 - 14.75 = a 25 cents tip! - At this precise moment, I felt a very strong sharp pain on my right buttock.
I turned around and I saw a mid sized dog with his fangs on my buttock. I had to use the pizza pouch to have him release me. He never barked and I was never told there was a dog in the property. And even if there would have been a warning sign, I couldn't have read it because it was so dark outside.
I thought about ringing the doorbell of Mr. J but by this time I was already a few yards away from the door and the dog was following me, so I walked slowly to my car and left in pain.
On a rainy night I was sent to deliver a pizza to Mr. J, a man in his mid or late 40s (initials to keep his name private). It was raining but I was happy because if you have been a pizza delivery boy, you know that maybe the tips could be better during rainy or snowy days.
After arriving to Mr. J's house, I opened the gate of his fence and knocked at his door. The rain was getting heavier and it was very dark around his house. Mr. J turned on an outside light, said "Hello Pizza Boy", gave me $15.00 dollars (or so I believe) and before allowing me to say "thank you", he said "keep the change" and shut the door. - A quick calculation: His invoice was 14.75 so 15.00 - 14.75 = a 25 cents tip! - At this precise moment, I felt a very strong sharp pain on my right buttock.
I thought about ringing the doorbell of Mr. J but by this time I was already a few yards away from the door and the dog was following me, so I walked slowly to my car and left in pain.
I went back to the store and told the shift manager that I had been bitten by a dog and that I was bleeding. He told me to put some rubbing alcohol and that everything would be just fine. I was his only driver that night so thinking of releasing me to send me to the hospital was perhaps out of the question.
Later the next morning, I told my roommate Jeff (who has now become a neurosurgeon!) what happened. He screamed at me and told me that I had to go the hospital because if I would catch rabies, I would die. So I went to the student medical center and was seen by a doctor right away.
The doctor told me that I had to go the hospital right away after I was bitten by the dog and that I was supposed to call the police to check on the dog. He told me, "you think this is a joke, but you should know that there is no cure if you get rabies". I said, "I just didn't know what to do and I was told I had no reason to worry, just to put some rubbing alcohol on my wound". He called the police immediately and while he was curing me and preparing a shot, he told me "I want to talk to you".
He told me something that I still remember clearly: "I was once like you, a struggling young student trying to make a buck to survive. You know, now you have your break. You can get a lot of money for this and you will not longer have to work while you study. Then you can worry only about being a good student". I said, "but I have friends that work there, the shift manager is a friend of mine". The doctor replied: "Greedy Corporations don't care about anybody but themselves. They would sell their own mother for a dollar. And your friend didn't care about you. He just cared about making more money. What they did is very irresponsible." By this time a policeman had arrived and began asking me questions about the dog and its location.
Later that day I received 3 phone calls at home. A first call was from Pizza Hut's insurance company. They told me that they would cover all expenses for my medical treatment. They told me that if I had any expenses, that I could ask for an immediate reimbursement from my store manager. Also they asked me if I had any plans to file a lawsuit. I answered, "I don't have any plans or intentions".
A second call was from a local attorney. The local attorney asked me if I was interested in filing a lawsuit against Pizza Hut and the dog owner. I said, "the shift manager is my friend, if I file a lawsuit, he will be fired. So I don't intend to file". The attorney said "we assure you we can win, and we will cover all expenses for you".
And a final call was from the store manager. She asked me if I was feeling fine and if I was going to come to work. I said I had no problem to go to work.
Once in the store, the manager "complained" to me. She said "poor Mr. J, he called me all worried because the police went to his home and they have taken his dog away for a quarantine. They asked him for his dogs' papers but he had none, so now he has to pay a penalty and on top, his dog has been put in quarantine for many days and he is very worried about you law-suiting him so you better call him and tell him everything is okay". Then the shift manager that had been on the shift the night before when I was bitten told me that he had also spoken to Mr. J and that he was worried about a lawsuit but that he told him that I was a "very nice guy so you shouldn't worry about it".
A few days later, I met Mr. J again in another pizza delivery I took to his house. Outside on his fence there was now a sign saying "beware of the dog". I was reluctant to go through the gate so he came outside to meet me. He called me by my first name and asked me "how are you doing?", I said "fine thank you, I'm sorry about your dog and all the trouble". He smiled and said "no, don't worry". He paid for the pizza and said "keep the change, buddy". I said "thank you and left".
Later the next morning, I told my roommate Jeff (who has now become a neurosurgeon!) what happened. He screamed at me and told me that I had to go the hospital because if I would catch rabies, I would die. So I went to the student medical center and was seen by a doctor right away.
The doctor told me that I had to go the hospital right away after I was bitten by the dog and that I was supposed to call the police to check on the dog. He told me, "you think this is a joke, but you should know that there is no cure if you get rabies". I said, "I just didn't know what to do and I was told I had no reason to worry, just to put some rubbing alcohol on my wound". He called the police immediately and while he was curing me and preparing a shot, he told me "I want to talk to you".
He told me something that I still remember clearly: "I was once like you, a struggling young student trying to make a buck to survive. You know, now you have your break. You can get a lot of money for this and you will not longer have to work while you study. Then you can worry only about being a good student". I said, "but I have friends that work there, the shift manager is a friend of mine". The doctor replied: "Greedy Corporations don't care about anybody but themselves. They would sell their own mother for a dollar. And your friend didn't care about you. He just cared about making more money. What they did is very irresponsible." By this time a policeman had arrived and began asking me questions about the dog and its location.
Later that day I received 3 phone calls at home. A first call was from Pizza Hut's insurance company. They told me that they would cover all expenses for my medical treatment. They told me that if I had any expenses, that I could ask for an immediate reimbursement from my store manager. Also they asked me if I had any plans to file a lawsuit. I answered, "I don't have any plans or intentions".
A second call was from a local attorney. The local attorney asked me if I was interested in filing a lawsuit against Pizza Hut and the dog owner. I said, "the shift manager is my friend, if I file a lawsuit, he will be fired. So I don't intend to file". The attorney said "we assure you we can win, and we will cover all expenses for you".
And a final call was from the store manager. She asked me if I was feeling fine and if I was going to come to work. I said I had no problem to go to work.
Once in the store, the manager "complained" to me. She said "poor Mr. J, he called me all worried because the police went to his home and they have taken his dog away for a quarantine. They asked him for his dogs' papers but he had none, so now he has to pay a penalty and on top, his dog has been put in quarantine for many days and he is very worried about you law-suiting him so you better call him and tell him everything is okay". Then the shift manager that had been on the shift the night before when I was bitten told me that he had also spoken to Mr. J and that he was worried about a lawsuit but that he told him that I was a "very nice guy so you shouldn't worry about it".
A few days later, I met Mr. J again in another pizza delivery I took to his house. Outside on his fence there was now a sign saying "beware of the dog". I was reluctant to go through the gate so he came outside to meet me. He called me by my first name and asked me "how are you doing?", I said "fine thank you, I'm sorry about your dog and all the trouble". He smiled and said "no, don't worry". He paid for the pizza and said "keep the change, buddy". I said "thank you and left".
Back in the car, I counted the money and took the 25 cents tip he had just given me. The truth is that once in a while some people get a break in their hands and they are unable to seize the opportunity because they want to believe that the world out there is full of daisies and roses. I was one of them, driving my old Honda back and forth around town delivering pies while my classmates were studying at the library during my years as a college student.
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