Kindred spirits are a wily sort of spirit — you never know when you’re going to run into someone who has a lot in common with your life. And while it’s reward enough to share interests with a stranger, when that sharing leads to a whopper of a tip, well then, that’s extra nice.

When a customer at a Holiday Inn bar in New Jersey asked the bartender about the paw-print tattoo on her arm, she told him she loves animals and volunteers with a pit bull rescue group, reports CNN.

During the chat with the friendly couple, they got to talking about her own pets and she confided that one of her dogs was at the veterinary hospital and had just had emergency surgery hours before, after he swallowed a hard plastic ball.

When the man said something about surgery not being cheap, she explained that it was — around $2,700 in this case but she would do whatever she could for her dog Tucker, including working three jobs.

The bartender was shocked to find that the man had filled out the receipt for the couple’s drinks and dinner with $1,000 in the tip line, and tried to return it.

“I went back over and said ‘Sir, I cannot accept this, what is this for, why would you do this?'” she said, adding that she was shaking and crying when she saw it. He told her to put it toward her dog’s medical costs.

“I just stood there in shock. I walked around and hugged this couple. They said, ‘We’ll be praying for Tucker.'”

The hotel manager tracked down the customer through her comptroller this week to verify the tip as legitimate, and it sounds like his generosity isn’t limited to this one instant.

“Apparently this man does this quite frequently. Just a really nice guy and humanitarian,” the manager said. “I have never ever seen a $1,000 tip like that.”

Man leaves $1,000 tip for dog’s surgery [CNN]

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