Everyday, Jeff Kramer takes a moment to greet his friend Tashi, a black lab who lives at one of the houses on his route. Their friendship was started the first day they met, Tashi could tell that he was a dog person. However, as the years wore on, Tashi could no longer make it down the steps to greet his friend.

Tashi’s family would carry him up and down the steps so he could go say hello to Jeff, and this broke the mailman’s heart. Remembering he still had the materials from the ramp he made his own aging dog years before, he had a wonderful idea:

Initially, he just dropped the unassembled wood off at the Dimetrosky’s, but it just sat there for a few months. “We’re not very handy,” Dimetrosky said. “I’m more handy than my husband, but I didn’t know how to put that together.” With his heart aching from having to see Tashi watch him from the porch, Kramer visited on one of his days off to build the ramp. “When Jeff assembled the ramp on a Sunday and we came home and saw him out front, we were so grateful that he took time out of his life to do this for Tashi,” Dimetrosky said. The ramp has not only allowed Tashi to walk out and see his friend, but his family no longer needs to lift the large dog up off the ground. They believe it has potentially prolonged Tahsi’s life! “It has enabled the kids to take him out front also and given Tashi a sense of independence and dignity as an older dog,” says Dimetrosky. “Jeff is just a compassionate letter carrier who possesses a love for animals.”

It only took an afternoon of spare time for Mr. Kramer to make a difference, and for that we thank him. Not only did he increase the quality of life for a beloved family pet, he helped a family and made a difference in his community!

Adorable mailman builds a ramp for an old dog