A bartender, burdened with a sick pet, received an incredibly touching act of kindness from a complete stranger. Christina Summitt, distinguished by a paw-print tattoo on her wrist, often engages in dog-related conversations with people. She owns a Great-Dane/Labrador mix named Tucker and volunteers her time with a pit bull rescue organization. While serving drinks at the Holiday Inn in Clinton, New Jersey, on a Saturday night, she struck up a conversation with a warm and engaging couple. When the man inquired if she owned a dog, Christina opened up about Tucker, who had just been admitted to the emergency veterinary hospital that same day after swallowing a hard plastic ball.
Christina recounted her experience on a Facebook page in her own words:
“A couple came in last night. I served them drinks, took their dinner order, and we chatted casually. During the conversation, I mentioned Tucker, my ailing dog. He had been rushed into surgery that very morning to remove a tennis ball lodged in his small intestine. The vet bill turned out to be a hefty $2,700! Tucker, a 3-year-old Lab/Dane mix, is like a child to me, as are all my pets. I didn’t have the funds for the surgery, but what was I supposed to do? Let my dog suffer? Absolutely not! I was prepared to sell my car if necessary. Then, the gentleman signed his credit card slip, leaving a $1,000.00 tip!”
He instructed Christina to put the generous tip towards Tucker’s $2,700 tennis ball operation. Overwhelmed, Christina continued, “Tears streaming down my face, I insisted that I couldn’t accept such a large tip. He wouldn’t hear of me refusing it. I could never adequately express my gratitude to this extraordinary couple. Even as I share this story, I’m moved to tears.”
“I just stood there in shock. I walked around and hugged this couple,” she told CNN. “They said, ‘We’ll be praying for Tucker.’”
Hotel manager Michelle Satanik followed up later to verify the tip was legitimate and discovered that the generous benefactor (who wished to remain anonymous) does this “quite frequently” and is “just a really nice guy and humanitarian.”
A couple of days after his surgery, Tucker is doing well and is now at home resting. “He’s still uncomfortable but being a brave good boy,” said Christina.
Christina, who works at three jobs and has three stepchildren, said she is extremely grateful for the generosity of the couple. “A stranger helped me beyond any help I’ve ever received last night and I’m so grateful and so is my family and my doggie Tucker.”
