The Phantom Hugger

When a homeowner in Pierre Part, Louisiana, noticed a neighbor boy repeatedly sneaking into her garage, she set up a surveillance camera to catch him in the act. And she caught something sweet: the boy was sneaking a cuddle with her dog, Dutchess. Now the boy’s been told he can visit whenever he likes, no sneaking required.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCExxj3LCWs&start=6&rel=0

From Murray C. and Paul P. More of this story at The Dodo.

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24 thoughts on “The Phantom Hugger

  1. allein June 10, 2016 / 9:09 am

    I saw this on the news twice this week! What a sweet kid! Hopefully he gets his own dog again soon…maybe after baseball season is over. The story I saw last night featured his mom saying they were just too busy to give a dog proper attention right now.

  2. Gigi_the cat lady June 10, 2016 / 9:20 am

    I saw this story on TV a couple of times, it’s very sweet and I was very impressed by how well behave the dog was. It didn’t try to follow the boy out, just stayed in the garage.

  3. Phred's Mom June 10, 2016 / 9:39 am

    Good story all around, from every direction.

  4. birdcage June 10, 2016 / 9:43 am

    It is a constant struggle for me not to engage in covert dog-hugging expeditions in my neighbourhood. Or just random drive-by dog-huggings on any sidewalk or in parks. I’m not in a position to have a dog right now either so I find I need a fix every once in a while. I find hound dogs especially hard to avoid.

    • allein June 10, 2016 / 9:47 am

      I feel ya’!

      I was in Barnes & Noble last week and there was a little girl (maybe 11 or so) with a Chihuahua. It took a lot of willpower to not follow her down an aisle and ask to pet with dog.

    • Sumo-Mermaid June 10, 2016 / 1:25 pm

      There’ve been many times when I’ve walked up to complete strangers and asked about their dog. They’re always happy to share, I think because they recognize another dog lover. After the ice is broken, I ask if I can pet. I’ve never been refused by the human, but there have been some dogs who didn’t want me around. I do this more often when I don’t have a current foster or pet-sitting dog and am in withdrawal.

    • Murray June 10, 2016 / 3:07 pm

      YES, me, too. We have enough to deal with – two rabbits and a cat. And I’m allergic and my husband would end up having to deal with am walkies because he gets up earlier than I do. He is not keen on that. But someday, SOMEDAY I will have a dog. I pat every dog I can. Maybe I’ll start skulking around dog parks.?

  5. Faye June 10, 2016 / 9:51 am

    Doggie withdrawal symptoms are awful. I live with a big dog now and he’s a blessing. But I miss my chihuahua girl in my bed. ?

  6. Amy June 10, 2016 / 11:20 am

    I totally get this kid. When I was about 3, our next door neighbor rescued a kitten and kept it on her screened porch. I wanted to be so close to that kitten, I somehow climbed one of her trees. My parents couldn’t find me for hours.

    • JenDeyan June 10, 2016 / 11:26 am

      Were you one of those Lost Kids, too? My parents told me when I was little, too young to remember myself, that I ran off and my parents were frantic, looking everywhere for me. When the search in the immediate neighborhood was fruitless, they jumped in their car and searched. Where did they find me? Trying to catch a little stray dog that wasn’t in the mood for cuddles.

    • AJ June 10, 2016 / 12:23 pm

      I get my wandering gene from my mother. When she was a toddler back in the early 40s, my grandparents ran a hotel in Digby NS and one of the maids/kitchen staff were supposed to keep an eye on her when she was in the backyard. Well, Momma had a habit of digging under the fence and then trotting down to the local movie theater to watch a show. All the ushers knew her and would let her in for free, then call my grandparents to let them know where she was. When I was around 4, we had moved to a new neighborhood and I went to the park behind our house. After playing I got turned around and ended up at a neighbor’s house where I proceeded to tell them my name and where I lived. Got home safely but can’t do that nowadays.

      • Kar June 11, 2016 / 1:17 am

        Child Services would be having very severe discussions with your grandparents if that happened today.

    • Gigi_the cat lady June 10, 2016 / 1:03 pm

      When I was 3 or 4 years old, I remember vividly one day my mom couldn’t find me, then she saw me coming around the corner down the street holding on to the fur of a big shepherd dog. She grabbed me and ran into the house, I couldn’t understand why she was so frantic, as I told her, my friend the dog had been coming to the house for a week and I would grab on to he’s fur and he would take me around the block and then take me right back home. I don’t know where that dog came from but I think she must have scared him because he never came back. 🙁

      • Murray June 10, 2016 / 3:09 pm

        Awww, what a pity! Sweet dog.

  7. MTKees June 10, 2016 / 6:48 pm

    I work on a University campus and can bring my English Setter boy to work with me. We get stopped almost daily by students asking about Jack and wanting to pet or hug him. Most the time, they talk about their dog who is home with mom and dad, etc. Jack is always happy for the attention and they get a fix for their doggie withdrawal.

    • allein June 10, 2016 / 7:05 pm

      There was a professor at my college who had two mini Doxies that he would bring to campus with him (I never had a class with him, though; I don’t know if he brought them to class or if they just stayed in his office). They were never on leashes and would just follow him around campus. I got to pet the boy a few times, but the girl wasn’t very friendly.

    • Murray C. June 10, 2016 / 9:44 pm

      The best thing about dogs! They bring people out of their shells, which is why kids who need a working dog, kids who feel different and too shy, blossom when they have their dog to help break the ice. Love them doggies. Sigh.

  8. Kar June 11, 2016 / 1:35 am

    Anybody else a fan of Patrick McDonell’s Mutts? This reminded me of the affection between the poor devoted Guard Dog and his one friend, Doozy

    Not that this guy is chained up but the love between a dog and a young soul is powerful.

    • Murray C. June 11, 2016 / 12:57 pm

      I am a big fan of Mutts. I love his drawing and his sensibilities. He always does a series of strips for Animal Adoption and other critter causes.?

      • Kar June 11, 2016 / 6:44 pm

        Those Shelter Stories panels will break your heart.

        • Murray C. June 11, 2016 / 6:51 pm

          Oh, yeah. I’ve ended up in tears any number of times over his strips. Guard Dog always breaks me up.

    • Murray C. June 11, 2016 / 6:54 pm

      Makes me want to move to Jersey!

  9. Blakeney June 11, 2016 / 9:29 pm

    Adorable! Love how he tears out of there like he’s leaving a crime scene. Hee hee! Phantom hugger indeed!

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