Chihuahua and postal worker capture the attention of millions with their daily routine

In the dead of winter, a tiny chihuahua darts out of a suburban home. Her run is the high-voltage gallop of purpose and thrill. Her postman is here.

Here, just outside Chicago, Illinois, the dog-versus-mailman rivalry cliche is laid to rest.

At 10:30 a.m., every day, Frannie Joy the chihuahua waits at the storm door, watching for her friend Dan Larsen. Dressed in colorful canine fashion, her little body vibrates with anticipation. Soon, a white mail truck crawls the perimeter of the cul-de-sac and Frannie begins to whimper.

This is the cue. Her human, Lisa Laskey, opens the door just wide enough, and Frannie bolts, running up to Larsen as he emerges from the postal truck. He picks her up while she covers his face in kisses.

Year-round, this is their routine. And Laskey has been documenting it and putting the blossoming friendship on social media. To her surprise and delight, millions have responded.

“So precious! They are so adorable. This is the sweetest love,” a commenter wrote under a TikTok video with 3.3 million views.

“The greatest love story ever told on TikTok,” someone else wrote under another video with 1.5 million views.

“I had no idea how much an impact this relationship would have on people. I sob my way through the comments,” Laskey told the Daily Herald.

Larsen has been delivering mail for 40 years. He has a reputation of getting along well with the dogs on his route, according to the Daily Herald. But it is clear this friendship is something special.

Frannie was a “COVID dog,” adopted in 2021 during the pandemic. At a time when postal workers were among the few visitors most people (and dogs) saw while at home, Larsen was a welcome daily caller.

Across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, the duo have attracted millions of eyeballs, their daily dance melting hearts across the world.

“People like seeing a dog with a mail carrier,” Laskey told the Daily Herald. “They can feel the love coming right through the camera.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Chihuahua and postal worker capture the attention of millions with their daily routine."