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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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When a Texas woman noticed the same lady picking up the trash outside her apartment every morning with her dog, she decided to do something to show her appreciation.
For five days a week, for six months, come rain or shine, Olivia Perkins from Dallas would see Genevieve, wearing a high-vis jacket with her loyal dog Princess picking up the trash left outside every apartment in her building.
This near-daily occurrence was something captured on Perkins’ doorbell camera. That same camera would go on to capture the moment Perkins sprung a surprise on Genevieve.
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In the footage shared to TikTok under the handle @oliviaolp, Genevieve can be seen going about her normal everyday duties when something outside Perkins’ front door stops her in her tracks. It’s a tiny high-vis jacket. The perfect fit for Princess.
“I just so happen to see the vest randomly at the store, while shopping,” Perkins told Newsweek. She left the vest alongside a cuddly toy and a note that simply said “for your dog.”
Bowled over at this simple, yet sweet gesture, Genevieve expressed thanks via the doorbell cam. “I decided to share the video in hopes that it will remind people to not only be nice, but to be kind to others,” Perkins said.
Perkins’ video went viral on TikTok, where it has already been watched 13 million times. Everyone wants to feel like their work matters. A study by management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company found that 70 percent of employees see their sense of purpose as defined by their work.
In this one moment, with this one simple gesture Perkins reminded Genevieve that her work was important. “You made her feel so seen in a thankless job,” one user wrote. “You can tell her dog was so happy to be in a matching vest with his or her mom,” another said. A third said: “Those little acts of kindness are what makes people’s life better. A reminder that you are seen. It cost almost nothing, but she’ll never forget that gesture.”
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Genevieve ended up coming into the comments section to thank everyone for their kind words. “Thank you everyone for all the love. I’ve been crying reading all these kind comments,” she said. “My job is not easy, but I still show up every day and Princess she loves to tag along.”
There was one further twist in the story though. A few days later, Perkins was contacted by Genevieve’s son who revealed she has been going through a tough time.
Genevieve is in the process of getting divorced and has had to sell her Jeep. She and Princess are currently living with her son in his one-bedroom apartment.
“You never know what they are going through and after meeting her and learning her story, she is really going through it and it’s heartbreaking,” Perkins said.
In an effort to help off the back of her viral video success, Perkins has set up a GoFundMe for Genevieve with a target of $16,000. She included a link in her TikTok bio. So far she has raised close to $15,000.
“I never knew any of this prior,” Perkins said. “But I’m glad I posted the video and started a GoFundMe because now she is able to get ahead in life with a few things and take some weight off her shoulders while she deals with some other heavy things.”
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