RAMONA, Calif. — Before we say goodbye to another Christmas, the San Diego Honda Dealers wanted to deliver one more big surprise. In this Zevely Zone, I revisited the Circle G Ranch in Ramona. That's where I met Ryan Gonsalves and his 90-year-old grandmother Hilda.
I told them even Santa makes mistakes. This year he bought too many presents to pack inside a minivan, so he had to rent a U-Haul truck. About that time little Helpful Honda Elves were parking on the property and starting to unload the loot. "Oh, my god, no really?" asked Ryan.
A few months ago, I profiled Ryan in the Zevely Zone. He is a 29-year-old who had to grow up quick. "Without him I don't know what I would do," said his grandmother Hilda. Ryan takes care of the sweet 90-year-old and when his father Alfred died, the family's dog park business was Ryan's to run.
Which all led to this special holiday surprise. "We are the San Diego Honda Dealers and we have a surprise for you today, we heard that you do so much to help your mom and your grandma that we wanted to help you back," said Carly Harris from the San Diego Honda Dealers.
Carly and her elves, dressed in Honda blue, started unpacking dozens and dozens of gifts. "Oh my gosh that's a lot," said Ryan who wasn't expecting to receive a gift this year. "I mean this has never happened to me before," said Ryan.
Ryan is the owner of the Circle G Ranch; a property that's been in his family for 40 years. Much like how Airbnb allows you to rent a house, there's a company called Sniffspot that lets you rent your own dog park. For $17 an hour, you can rent Ryan's private dog park. Ryan loves dogs, but even more so, he loved his father, Alfred. "Yeah, he was a big animal lover for sure," said Ryan with his eyes filling with tears. "He needed a kidney transplant, and I was planning on being his transplant for that and after a while he got diagnosed with cancer and they wouldn't do the transplant anymore." Alfred's dying wish was for Ryan, a 29-year-old, to run the dog park and take care of his mother Marcia who is battling Parkinson's along with his 90-year-old grandmother Hilda.
The San Diego Honda Dealers were moved by a young man carrying the weight of the world, so they decided to provide a Random Act of Helpfulness. They buried Ryan in boxes and gifts! "Oh, wow these are cool," said Ryan as he started opening the gifts. "Awesome, oh very cool!" said Ryan.
The San Diego Honda Dealers watched our story on Ryan and wanted to spruce up his dog park. "Oh, wow thank you so much this is going to be a game changer for sure," said Ryan.
From new lawn furniture to easy ups, umbrellas and more, Ryan received thousands of dollars of gifts for the dogs too. "Oh my gosh this is too much," said Ryan. "These are elevated pet beds," said Carly. "Oh, that is perfect," said Ryan. So was the automatic ball launcher! "I am speechless," said Ryan. "Oh my gosh guys seriously, can I give you all a hug? Oh my god thank you."
Ryan insisted his grandma open a few gifts as well. "They come be
aring gifts," said Ryan while walking into the house. Hilda told us her grandson is the only gift she needs. "Sometimes I feel so guilty because I am so disabled, but he just keeps going," said Hilda. Ryan only wishes his dad could have been there to share the moment. "I just hope he is proud of me and mainly for taking care of her," said Ryan.
It was only fitting that Grandma Hilda open the final gift. She opened a card and letter and read the following, "The Helpful San Diego Honda Dealers are bringing you a little extra help this holiday. Please enjoy this gift of $1,000 for the Circle G Ranch and your family." Tears flowed down Ryan's cheeks as he told us, "Wow. That is really nice. Thank you."
"Couldn't have ask for a better grandson," said Hilda. Ryan hopes you'll bring your pet to his dog park to enjoy the new treats and toys. For more information on the Circle G Ranch click here.
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