# Sssssssurprise!



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

AFM rescues pet snake from dash of TM

AFM Brent Brandolino took apart the dash of this TM to retrieve a customer’s pet ball python.

The pet ball python, like this one, was curled up near the truck’s heater box.

Brandolino relied on nearly two decades of experience in the automotive industry to find the snake.

Brandolino (left) came to the rescue of Latrobe Road Self Storage manager Tyler Jobson (middle) and owner Louis Mansour (right).

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif.—During his nearly two decades in the automotive industry, Brent Brandolino dealt with his fair share of serpentine belts, which wrap around many parts of the engine. However, he never thought he’d see an actual serpent coiled up inside a truck! That changed this past February when the area field manager (AFM) for UHC of East Sacramento (706-002) came to the rescue of a U-Haul customer whose pet snake went missing somewhere between Denver and El Dorado Hills.

When the customer arrived at Latrobe Road Self Storage and U-Haul Dealership (007517) in El Dorado Hills, he explained to Storage Manager Tyler Jobson that the snake had slithered out of its box within the past day. The box had been placed on the floor of the passenger side of the 10-foot TM.

“He was pretty certain it was still in the truck,” Brandolino related, “he just wasn’t sure where.”
Snake search

Baffled, Jobson called Brandolino for some advice. The AFM, who was in the area, rushed to the dealership to help.

“When I showed up, the customer and Tyler were staring at the dash of the TM and told me there was a snake in there somewhere,” Brandolino remembered. “So, I started taking the dash apart. I know that reptiles like warm spots, so I figured it was near the heater box. 

Brandolino proceeded to remove several pieces of the dash as the customer watched anxiously. After about 15 minutes, he spotted something.

“I was shining the flashlight in there and saw some scales,” Brandolino noted, “and I knew we had found it.”

Brandolino held back the dash panels as the customer reached in and retrieved his ball python, which was about four feet long and too thick to grab with just one hand.
“A unique experience”

When all was said and done, the unharmed snake was reunited with its relieved owner, and Brandolino had another exciting story to add to his list of “Things Only an AFM Might See.”

“It was definitely a unique experience,” Brandolino emphasized. “It had been a long time since I was able to tear apart the inside of a truck, so that was fun!”

Once all of the commotion died down and the customer was on his way, Brandolino got back to work and put the dash back together. After all, despite the excitement, other families needed the U-Haul truck to set out on their own Adventure in Moving!


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