header image

Lil Bit of Sunshine

Posted by: Jennifer Stevens | September 4, 2013 | No Comment |

The day before the College’s big Parking Services permit sale, Sonya Allen, Manager of Parking Services, planned on coming into the office early and needed the flexibility to stay as late as necessary to prepare for the crowd the next day. Knowing that her Chihuahua, Lil Bit, would not be able to go for that long without a restroom break, she decided to bring him with her. He hung out in his kennel in her office while she worked. That afternoon, a student came into the office very upset about her parking situation. Sonya explained her options to her and her father, but she wasn’t happy with any of those options. It became clear that she was frustrated about more than her parking situation when she burst into tears and started to vent about the stress she was under – moving to Charleston, getting a new job, etc.

lilbit1

As Sonya watched her cry, Lil Bit decided that his owner had been gone too long and he came out of the office and started to jump on Sonya’s leg, asking her to pick him up. His demanding behavior just added to the stress that Sonya was feeling by this time, so she reached down and scooped him up. She saw the student’s reaction to seeing Lil Bit, so Sonya asked her, “Do you need this?” The student just nodded her head. Sonya plopped the dog onto the counter and let him work his magic. His tail was wiggling with delight at the prospect of meeting someone new, and somehow he knew to focus on the upset student. He licked her tears and loved on her until she smiled. The student’s father looked at Sonya gratefully, and she explained to him, “Lil Bit is a therapy dog and this is what he does best.” The student finally placed the dog back onto the counter, pulled herself together, and apologized for being so emotional. Parking Services was able to help her make a decision about her parking space, and she and her father left the office.

Sonya has seen Lil Bit diffuse situations before, but never like this. He was her secret weapon that day!

lilbit2

Lil Bit literally wandered into Sonya’s yard in August 2012 when she and her husband, Chris, were outside throwing a Frisbee to their Australian Shepard. The two dogs hit it off immediately and started chasing each other around the front yard. Her husband assumed that this was a neighbor’s dog that had gotten loose somehow. Pretty soon it started to thunder and Chris decided to take their dog into the house. When no one came around looking for the Chihuahua, Chris figured that he better take him into the house too, so that he wouldn’t have to be outside in the storm.

lilbit3

When Sonya got home that evening, she called the phone number on the dog’s collar several times, but it always went straight to voicemail. Her and her husband had never been ‘little dog people,’ but they recognized that this dog was special and they were committed to keeping him until they could reach his owner. Several days later, they finally reached someone at the number on the dog’s collar. The woman on the phone told them that this wasn’t her dog and that he must have been wearing an old tag. This was odd, seeing as though the staff at the Charleston Animal Society estimated his age to be only 6-8 months. Once they had eliminated the possibility of reuniting this dog with his owner, they decided to make him a permanent addition to their home. So many people have told Sonya and Chris that Lil Bit is the friendliest Chihuahua they have ever met. Sonya agrees. She had him evaluated to be a registered therapy dog and he passed with flying colors. There is definitely something special about the little guy.

under: Business Affairs
Tags: , ,

Leave a response -

Your response:

Categories

Skip to toolbar