Lucy is a very sociable dog who loves everyone she meets. She especially adores her family members, although for her and her brother, it took a little time to find their rhythm together.
“My son is 5 years old and non-verbal. He has autism spectrum disorder and was officially diagnosed a few months after we had Lucy. He didn’t love her for the first year of her life. I think it was too big a change for him, and he didn’t like her being in his personal space,” Miranda Peterson, Lucy’s owner, told our American colleagues at The Dodo.
Lucy felt that Miranda’s son needed a little more time to get used to her, and she tried to give him space to let this happen naturally. And eventually, faster than expected, the two ended up finding an activity that helped them bond.
“A few months ago, my husband started taking our son for a daily walk at the end of his work day. He loves being outside, so he takes full advantage of it. My husband also took Lucy with him, and it became a daily activity. Whatever the weather, the three of them go for a walk. This daily outing has allowed my son to bond with Lucy, so much so that he now enjoys playing fetch with her, pouring his food into her bowl every day and, from time to time, he will stroke her » says Miranda Peterson.
Today, Lucy enjoys being outside with her brother whenever she gets the chance. Moreover, for several months, she has taken it into her head to wait in front of the house for her return from school by bus. The latter stops right in front of the family home, so it’s ideal for the two to meet up as quickly as possible. It was another opportunity for Lucy to get closer to her brother, and that’s how she ended up meeting the bus driver. “One day, she ran inside the bus to follow her brother, and that’s when she officially met the bus driver. Since this episode, every day, he comes down a few steps from the bus so that Lucy can go and greet him,” confides the owner of the female pitbull.
The bus driver had told Peterson that he was a big fan of pit bulls, so he was just as excited to meet Lucy as she was to meet him. Very quickly, saying hello to the person who drives the young boy between his school and his house became a real routine for the dog. In the morning, she goes out with her “brother”, accompanies him to the entrance of the bus and takes the opportunity to greet the driver. Then she gets busy during the day and mostly waits for the bus to come back, then she runs outside, picks up Miranda Peterson’s son and says hello again to her favorite bus driver. It’s her favorite time of day and she wouldn’t miss it for anything.
The young boy’s return home, a moment that the dog impatiently awaits
When Lucy enthusiastically greets her friend the bus driver every day, it’s almost as if she’s thanking him for taking such good care of her «brother.» When we carefully observe the way she acts, we almost have the impression that she feels that her brother is a little different, but in a beautiful way, and that she tells herself that anyone who looks after him like her the fact deserves all his love and affection.
Of course, waiting all day for the little boy to return might get boring, but Lucy doesn’t care. By being on the lookout for its arrival, she knows exactly when the bus is approaching the house and shows the same excitement each time at finding it.
“She’s like a little alarm clock and lets me know when the bus is outside. She immediately begins to moan and positions herself near the door. I always ask her to wait for the driver to help my son down, and as soon as I say, ‘OK,’ she runs over to him for a quick pet, then comes back to me like she’s saying, ‘Mom! He’s there ! It’s really him!’ Then she comes back for longer caresses,” explains the mother.
It’s heartwarming, isn’t it?
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