DOT workers rescue pet from highway Good deed improves public employees’ image By SHERRY HALBROOK Even small things you do may make a big impression on others. That point was driven home recently to two PEF members at the state Transportation Department. The two men were driving in the Adirondacks when they came to a busy section of Route 73 just outside Lake Placid. “We saw an old dog in the middle of the bridge, trying to cross several lanes of traffic,” says senior engineering technician Jim Smith. “He was cold and confused and a snow plow was coming right at him. When he tried to back up, that put him in the way of traffic going the other direction.” As pet owners and as professionals devoted to making highways safe for everyone, the men pulled off the road and went to the animal’s aid. One stopped traffic while the other brought the dog safely out of the traffic. It took just a few minutes, and the two workers soon forgot all about it. But Essex County Manager Clifford Donaldson Jr. saw the “rescue,” and was so impressed that he identified and wrote to Smith, copying the letter to state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman and PEF President Roger Benson. “Quite often state employees are not recognized for going the extra mile,” Donaldson wrote. “It was obvious to me that this dog was a family pet that had been well taken care of over the years. Had you not intervened, this dog would most likely have been struck by an oncoming vehicle due to the fact that so much traffic crosses that bridge each and every day on the way to and from Lake Placid. ....Thank you — you are a credit to state employees across the state.” “This letter really makes you realize,” Smith says, “that no matter where you are or what you are doing, someone is likely to see it. For that person, you are a snapshot, of a state worker.” The Communicator Home Page