Dorval, Quebec — October 8, 2015 — To Dorval-based tow truck driver Marco Trujillo, his chihuahua is more than a pet, he’s also his colleague.
Global News reports the Remorquage 514 Towing operator has been bringing seven-year-old Nacho to work for the past six years. He says he started routinely bringing his dog on calls after he realized Nacho not only kept him company, but brought some much-needed comfort to accident victims.
“He calms the kids, calms everyone who gets stressed in an accident,” Trujillo told Global, adding that it took around a year and a half to train Nacho to adapt to collision sites and remain near victims.
The company’s dispatcher, Glen Comeau, says while he was initially against the idea of a canine coworker, he sees the benefit of the dog’s presence. He says Nacho is now an integral part of the team.
“Maybe there’s a parent that’s been injured in an accident and the child is a bit nervous and stuff and Nacho seems to calm them down,” Comeau said in the report.
Despite his small stature, Nacho is quickly becoming a big name in the community, even overshadowing Trujillo, whose own experience surpasses his pet’s by two decades.
“They get on the scene, they know his name,” he says. “They don’t know mine, but they know the dog.”
And Comeau says it’s not just the customers either.
“The police, Urgences-Santé and the firemen—everybody’s getting to know him,” he says.
For Nacho, clad in his very own reflective safety vest, each recovery is just another day on the job with his best friend.
“He’s more than just company,” says Trujillo. “He’s my buddy.”
