You don’t need to go out of your way to make a difference, but it sure feels good when you do.

One pet store employee noticed a regular struggling to cover his dog’s care and decided to quietly step in.

That small gesture ended up meaning a lot more than he expected.

Read on for the full story!

Made a grown man cry today

So I work at a pet store; my family owns it. We do boarding, daycare, training, grooming, and retail.

I had a regular come in a few months back. He wasn’t doing too well financially since becoming disabled.

But the pet store employee noticed something troubling about his pet.

He brought in his dog for grooming, and I noticed he had a large number of fleas.

I called and informed him. I let him know that I would give his other dog a flea bath for cheap so he could take care of it.

This was going to cost him, and he was having trouble paying.

Once he got there, he tried to pay with a CareCredit card that the state had given him.

Unfortunately, we don’t take that card. So he gave me his card information so I could charge him when he got paid.

I sent him home with some flea and tick topical we sell over the counter.

But when the customer followed up about the transaction, the employee had an act of kindness waiting for him.

Well, the day came for me to run his card. He called me to remind me.

I thanked him, got off the phone, and didn’t charge him.

Today, he called, realizing he hadn’t been charged.

I told him I didn’t plan on charging him and was happy to be able to help. He couldn’t talk for a bit, trying to compose himself.

This act of kindness made the employee feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I got off the phone knowing I had made someone’s day better.

I know how hard it can be living on disability—my mom is on it. Sometimes even the littlest of things can help.

This story is just inspiring.

What did Reddit think?

Family owned is the way to go.

It’s moments like these that restore your faith in humanity.

This commenter applauds the struggling customer for still being a good pet owner.

Big corporate stores could never pull something like this off.

This experience helped this employee realize that kindness is truly contagious.

What a good day.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.