When Hollie Breaux Mallet checked her home security system, she noticed that a boy would regularly approach her dog, Duchess, to give her a hug. Rather than being upset at the trespassing, Hollie was touched by what she saw, so she posted the video on Facebook and asked her neighbors to help her identify the boy.
The 20-second video shows a boy with a red T-shirt and a baseball cap approach on a bike. He drops the bike at the end of Hollie’s driveway, then runs into her garage, where Duchess is sitting. Duchess walks up to him, he gives her a big hug, and then he speeds away on his bike. When Hollie posted the video, she explained that he would often come to see the dog, but he always ran away quickly, as if he was afraid of getting caught. She said he was welcome to stay and that Duchess loves the attention.
After a few friends and neighbors shared the video, Hollie’s neighbor, Ginger Clement Breaux, replied to the post and identified the boy as her son, Josh. Ginger told Hollie that their dog, Bella, passed away about a year ago, and it had been difficult for Josh. She said that Josh talked about Duchess all the time, but she didn’t know he had been entering Hollie’s property.
Hollie assured her that Josh was welcome anytime. When Ginger showed her son the Facebook post, he immediately went to go visit Duchess again. He even took a few adorable selfies with her.
Since Hollie posted the video, it has been viewed almost four million times. Even after Josh was identified, people continued to share the heartwarming video. Many people have commented showing their support for Hollie and Josh and sharing their own stories about their dogs.