Joe Kahlo
Meet Lucy, a very special dog who is bursting full of love, that she shows to everyone she meets, especially her family!
Miranda Peterson, Lucy’s human said to The Dodo: “My son is 5 years old and is nonverbal. He has autism spectrum disorder and was officially diagnosed a few months after we got Lucy. He did NOT like her for the first year of her life. I think it was too much of a change for him, and he didn’t like her being in his personal space.”
Despite this, Lucy could see that her brother needed some more time to warm up to her, so she was patient and gave him the space he needed.
“A few months ago, my husband started to take our son on a daily walk after he finished his workday,” says Miranda. “My son LOVES being outdoors so he thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband brought Lucy along as well, and then it just became an everyday thing. No matter the weather, the three of them go on a walk. The daily outing helped my son bond with Lucy, so now he loves playing fetch with her, pouring her food in her bowl every day and occasionally he’ll go and pet her.”
Now, the pair are inseparable, they love being outside together. Lucy began to wait for her brother’s school bus to get home each day to welcome him back.
“One day she ran inside the bus to follow her brother, and that’s when she officially met the bus driver. Then every day he would come down a few steps from the bus for Lucy to go greet him.”
The bus driver, who was a pit bull fan, loved meeting Lucy, and vice versa. Soon after, this became routine. Lucy would see her brother off in the mornings, and then wait all day until he returned to welcome him back as he got off the bus.
Each time, she would also greet the bus driver. She loves it, and never misses it, not for anything!
“She is like a little alarm clock and lets me know when the bus is outside,” said Miranda. “She immediately starts whining and waits by the door. I always ask her to wait (because manners) until the bus driver helps my son get off, and as soon as I say, ‘OK,’ she runs to him for a quick pet then runs back to me as if she’s telling me, ‘Mom! He’s here! It’s really him!’ Then she goes back for longer pets.”
