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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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A video of an autistic teenager embracing a dog for the first time has gone viral on TikTok, amassing 1.3 million views.
Newsweek spoke to mom Cheyenne Godding, 39, about the moment that left her speechless, as her son Brodey, 17, has "always been afraid of dogs," despite having two of them.
However, it took a dog named Gunner to help him conquer his fear. What makes their bond even more special is the fact that the Labrador was rescued by the family after turning up at their door and never leaving.
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Godding said: "What I captured was one of the most unbelievable and beautiful things I have ever seen. Gunner just sort of instinctively knows that he has to be calm, quiet, and still, which, by the way, is not typically Gunner's temperament."
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She explained that the young dog, estimated to be around one year old, is usually "hyper and rambunctious."
But during his first meeting with Brodey on February 3, which was captured on camera, he can be seen slowly but surely sniffing around the teen without making any loud or sudden movements. Brodey has his arms crossed as he watches Gunner, who then sits in front of him.
"My son is terrified of dogs, and even the two we have—which we've had for years—cause him a lot of anxiety," Godding told Newsweek. "Dogs barking really bothers his auditory sensory issues. Brodey wears noise-reduction headphones daily.
"So, there are so many magical things that happened in the video," she said, adding that she thought Brodey would have a difficult time when Gunner snuck into his room.
"When I walked in there, I noticed that Brodey was not freaking out in any way, and I thought to myself, 'Okay... this is different,' and decided to hit record.
"At the start, you can see they're both kind of unsure of each other, but as Gunner reads Brodey's energy and body language and adjusts his own, you see my son start to let his walls and defenses down."
Godding states that Gunner realized he needed to be patient with Brodey, and by the end of the clip, it paid off as he received head pats.
"The little smile on Brodey's face says it all, and I think my favorite part of the video is when Gunner turns his head around to look back at me to see if I'm watching," Godding said. "I truly feel like I witnessed a divine intervention.
"I have never, in 17 years, seen my son voluntarily try or even want to interact with a dog."
However, they aren't rushing the friendship, and Gunner is only allowed in Brodey's room once a day.
"Gunner is creating a safe place for my son, and nobody taught this dog this—he's only been with us for about a week!
"We are still learning about the dog, and he is still learning about us, but for whatever reason, he totally understands that he has to be different for my son."
Unusual Fears in Children With Autism
According to a study by the Department of Psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine that investigated unusual fears in children with autism, 41 percent (421 out of 1,033 children) exhibited unusual fears, with parents reporting a total of 92 different fears. Many children also had common childhood fears, such as fear of dogs, bugs and the dark.
The most frequently reported unusual fear was a fear of toilets, while the most common category of unusual fears involved mechanical objects, heights and weather.
TikTok Reacts
So far, the video has over 150,000 likes and many people have been left in awe.
"Looks like Gunner understands what [Brodey] needs," said one comment with almost 18,000 likes.
"Gunner didn't just show up, Gunner was sent," said another user and a third commenter wrote: "This is fascinating to watch, it's like Gunner felt exactly what he needed and gave him space to process first."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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