A dog’s love and devotion truly knows no bounds. If you want a friend who will love you unconditionally without expecting anything in return, then get yourself a little furry friend.
Or, in this case, make friends with a dog near your school.
Elisa Lee is a 17-year-old girl from Lakewood, California, whose best friend is a sweet Golden Retriever dog named Ralph.
They met quite unexpectedly, but nonetheless, it was truly love at first sight.
Love At First Sight
It all happened at the beginning of the school year. Elisa was getting a ride home from her friend, Jason, after school when she first noticed Ralph. He lived in a house near her school.
“He peeked underneath the fence, and me being a dog lover wanted to pet him; however, my mom had always warned me about trying to pet dogs because most dogs would be quite aggressive,” Elisa told metro.co.uk.
She went home without approaching the little snout peeking underneath the gate, but when she returned the next day, Ralph was again there waiting for her.
This time, she went to pet Ralph after her friends encouraged her, and at that moment, a true friendship was formed.
“The first time I pet him he was so excited and started licking my hand and pawing at it,” Elisa told BuzzFeed News.
From that day onwards, Ralph would wait every single day after school for Elisa to hang out with her, and every day, she would stop and give Ralph some love.
The After-School Ritual
Their after-school meetings consisted of pets, licks, holding hands, and lots of love and happiness.
“Sometimes he’s not there, probably chewing on a toy or laying in the grass, but if I call his name, he is sure to come to the little spot on the right side of the gate where he can see me better,” Elisa told BuzzFeed News.
Most of the time, though, he would already wait for her at their meeting spot.
“When I tell him ‘I’ve got to go’ or ‘bye’, he looks at me and paws or nibbles on my hand. Sometimes he gently holds on to my finger with his mouth. Maybe that’s a sign he wants me to stay. I don’t know,” Elisa said.
At first, Elisa didn’t know Ralph’s name, but then, one day, she finally met Ralph’s owner, who told her his name and that he was only a one-year-old puppy.
Thanks to Elisa, Ralph is actually pretty famous online and people love him. She posted about him on Twitter and people instantly fell in love with him and his pure devotion.
“I think Ralph had taken a shine to me maybe because before, kids would just walk by him and I was the only one who came to pet him all the time,” Elisa said.
She’s also very happy that people love Ralph as much as she does.
Sadly, Elisa graduated from high school at the end of the school year, so her after-school ritual with Ralph was cut short, but I’d like to believe that Elisa still goes to visit her favorite nose in the town.
