Shutterstock.com | Simone Capozzi
John Pedaci of Columbia Station, Ohio-based US Floor Service has one wood flooring job that sticks out in his memory decades later. As he tells it: "As a young man working with my father, I was applying a final coat of oil-based poly on a homeowner's house. I pleaded with the homeowner to put her two small dogs away—one she did, and one no way! As I was coming out the doorway with my 5-gallon bucket in tow, the dog ran between my legs and was headed to the coated floor. I reached for the dog and took a swipe for it. Well, just like slow motion, the pup was in the air and, yes, you guessed it, landed in the 5-gallon pail of finish. Being 16 at the time and in this mansion on the east side of Cleveland, I panicked—I was afraid the dog would die and we would be sued. I slapped the lid on the can (yes, with the dog inside), ran to the van and proceeded with a mineral spirits bath. Then, realizing what mineral spirits does to you when you leave a rag in your back pocket, I rushed the dog to a quarter car wash. Well, the poor miniature poodle was a mess. I then proceeded to the nearest vet and confessed the whole ordeal. They took the dog in the back, shaved it and gave it a good bath and, thank God, the dog was fine. Now I had to tell my dad and the homeowner—talk about wanting to talk to a priest or even suicide prevention! Well, my dad started laughing so hard he damn near fell over, and the homeowner, well, she wasn't pleased, but I reminded her of me pleading with her to put the dogs away. With the clean bill of health from the vet and the pup with a new haircut, we were paid, and, to our surprise, they recommended us to a friend."
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