Brain-Injured Man Gets Surprise From New Employer (Photos)

A man with a brain injury who was interviewing for a job at Lowe’s was shocked to learn that he’d be allowed to keep his service dog at his new job — something he said was extremely rare.

Owen Lima told CBS News that he was expecting a rejection when he interviewed for a job at the local Lowe’s store. Lima has brain damage and needs a service dog by his side, and he said it’s not easy to find employment because of that.

“It’s so hard to find a job where people can accept me for the way I am and the fact that I have a service dog with me,” he said. 

To Lima’s surprise, the store allowed him to take the job and keep his dog with him.

“We don’t care about your past, what you are — we care about what you can do,” he recalled store manager Paul Gallo saying to him.

Lima was hired as the North Regina, Canada, store’s customer service associate, and was given the task of greeting customers with his 10-year-old dog, Blue, at his side. Lima said having Blue with him immediately made his job easier, as he is prone to panic attacks because his brain injury causes him to have trouble understanding people when they talk fast.

Lima was hired on the condition that he’s able to control Blue and make sure that he doesn’t distract other employees, something Gallo said wasn’t proving to be an issue. 

The story went viral after a photo of Blue in a Lowe’s vest was posted online, garnering over 11,000 shares.

“We’re overwhelmed,” Gallo said of the media attention. “We never intended for this to happen. We listened to an individual and we took him on board like we would anyone else.”

Gallo said that the only problem he foresaw was having to resist playing with and loving Blue during work hours.

“Well done to this manager, I hope many people read this and visit his store, while there take a moment to shake both the managers hand and this young mans hand, perhaps a treat for his faithful companion would be a nice touch,” one Mad World News reader commented on the site’s Facebook page.

“Working at a Behavioral healthcare facility this just brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Lowe’s for hiring this man and caring enough to even supply his dog with a uniform. This is why I’ve always shopped at Lowe’s,” another wrote.

“Thank you Lowe’s for hiring this young man and his service dog!! I know they will do an excellent job [for] you and your store,” another added. 

Sources: CBS News, Mad World News/Facebook / Photo credit: Mike Mozart/Flickr, Lowe’s Canada via CBS News