Boo and Gloria are best friends. She wakes him up with kisses every morning and helps tuck him in at night. I could say that he shares his food with her, but generally she just snatches it out of his hand. Whenever you see one of them, you usually see the other. Last week I had to take Gloria to the vet for her Lyme booster. Boo came along for the ride. Due to Covid, we no longer go into the vet. You call them upon arrival, a tech comes out and collects your pet, you wait in the car, and they bring your pet back when they are finished. It takes very little time. So, I figured Boo would like to go for a ride in the car with Gloria and I brought him along.
We pulled up in the parking lot and I called the front office. They said they would be right out. Boo was happily sitting in the back seat, stimming and babbling to himself. A few minutes later a tech came out to collect Gloria and Boo completely melted down. He could not understand why I had just handed Gloria off to a complete stranger. He looked at me as if so say, “Am I next?” The tears and snot were in full flow. I felt horrible. I told him over and over again that Gloria would be right back and we would go home. He continued to cry. Fortunately, the tech was really quick and Gloria was back in under three minutes. As soon as she was in the car, Boo stopped sobbing and gave me a very watery smile. My heart broke again. We headed home.
When I brought Gloria home a year ago Boo took one look at her and cried. He thought he was being replaced. But, Gloria managed to worm her way into his heart. She sits on the bed with him when he is on his iPad. She follows him around the house. She kisses him good morning and good night. Though, thank God, he has not had a seizure in 8 weeks, she curls up with him after a seizure and keeps watch that nothing bad will happen. Boo does not have this bond with our other two dogs, just with Gloria. They are a funny little duo, a man/child with autism and epilepsy and a 14 pound ball of fluff who secretly thinks she is the size of a Great Dane. Right now, Boo is still sleeping and Gloria is busy herding the big dogs. When I wake him up for his morning meds she will be right there with us, ready to start the day and partake in whatever adventure he may take her on. Peace out, folks, and pet your dog. If you don’t have a dog, you may borrow one of mine.
Harriet's Hedgehogs and Autism Advocacy 