Like letter carriers, delivery drivers come into contact with a lot of animals that are best bribed with treats. This course of action can pave the way for years of positive interaction and create a bond along the way, making life a whole lot easier for everyone involved.
For one UPS driver in Oregon, it turned out to be the direct path to the heart of a pig named Miss Porkchop, a sassy 400-pound swine that just can't wait to greet him whenever he arrives.
Miss Porkchop
Scott Hodges, a UPS veteran of 30 years, is no stranger to sharing the love when it comes to handing out treats to the animals on his route. And because that route takes him to rural areas, it's not just cats and dogs he sees during his frequent stops. He regularly visits with horses from an equine sanctuary, as well as some goats and llamas, among other animals.
Making Friends
Wherever Hodges' duties take him, he's got treats on hand. According to an interview he gave The Dodo, in an average week, he goes through "about three boxes of dog biscuits and rotates carrots, grapes, apples and alfalfa cubes for the farm animals." That's not including the granola bars he brings for Miss Porkchop.
Lady of Leisure
Miss Porkchop is a true lady of leisure residing on a vineyard in Newberg, Oregon, where she normally roams freely among the several dogs that also call the winery home. Hodges thinks the portly porker believes she's actually one of them.
“She’s super friendly. I think she thinks she’s just one of the dogs,” Hodges related. “A lot of the time the dogs will come up into my truck waiting for their treat, but she can only get her front legs up on the steps since they're too short to climb all the way in. Which is good, because she’s 400 pounds and I’m not sure how we’d get her down.”
Loving Your Job
Not surprisingly, the favorite part of the job for Hodges is the animals. “I just love seeing the animals — it’s one of my favorite parts of my job,” he stated. “It’s a really fun thing to look forward to every day.” Who wouldn't love a VIP reception everywhere they went and to be surrounded by warmhearted creatures that actually look forward to your arrival? Myself, I'd call that a dream job.
