Took Lucy shopping today! She gets to pick out her own toy and always seems to find the biggest one! She cost her papa some $ today! Lol Hope you enjoy Lucy's shopping trip! "I Love Lucy"
Posted by Vickie Sheffer Adkins Fulton on Thursday, March 2, 2017
At just 4 1/2 pounds, little Lucy became a tail-wagging international sensation recently when a video posted to Facebook by the Yorkie’s owners in Henderson was shared by millions.
Vickie Fulton shot the video of Lucy as the little dog picked up a rather large Lamb Chop stuffed toy from a Daytona Beach pet store and trotted out to her owners’ parked vehicle with the new treasure in her mouth.
When Fulton posted it to Facebook shortly afterward, she never expected it to go “viral” and be seen by millions of people globally.
“It’s unbelievable that a video of a little precious dog has brought joy to so many people worldwide,” she said. “People have been telling me it’s so nice to see something so joyful and not political.”
As of Wednesday morning, Facebook showed that the video had been viewed more than 20 million times and had been shared by more than 530,000 people.
Fulton’s daughter gave her Lucy as a retirement present after Fulton left Henderson County Schools in 2008. Lucy is now 8 years old and loves her toys.
Fulton and her husband, Dennis, regularly vacation in Daytona Beach, Fla. When they do, they usually bring Lucy along, and they sometimes include visits to the Pet Supermarket.
The couple had brought their dog to the store in early March to let her pick out a toy. She wanted an oversize Lamb Chop, so that’s what they bought.
“I think the Lamb Chop weighs more than she does,” Fulton said.
In the video, Fulton urges Lucy to pick up the toy as they leave the shop and walk to the parking lot. Lucy managed to make it to the car, while Fulton filmed her.
“I tried not to make it real long,” Fulton said. “It cut off as we got to the car. People said, “You didn’t run it long enough.’ She was going lickety-split. I had the phone and her leash, and I was doing all I could.”
Fulton often posts short videos of Lucy for family and friends to see on Facebook. She had shot videos at the Pet Supermarket before, but she was unprepared for the reaction to the video shot in early March.
As her husband drove home, Fulton checked Facebook and noticed some staggering numbers.
“I thought, ‘Goodness gracious, this thing is being viewed by a lot of people,’” she said. “I kept checking throughout the drive home and couldn’t believe it.”
Her kids called her Saturday, before the video had crossed the million-view mark, and said it looked as if Lucy would go viral.
“I had heard of ‘viral’ but I didn’t know what it meant,” she said. “I knew a lot of people had seen video.”
She received more than 50,000 positive messages from all over the United States and more than 20 countries. Some people told her they were having a bad day until they stumbled across the video of Lucy. Others had lost their own pet recently, and seeing Lucy with her toy made them happy.
A friend who lives in the Louisville area messaged her Monday night that she had seen the video of Lucy on “Inside Edition.” Fulton was able to check the TV Guide and set her DVR to capture the segment.
Several companies have the Fultons, including the makers of the Lamb Chop toy; Bark Appeal, which makes the harness that Lucy was wearing in the video; and the Pet Supermarket.
The Fultons have since licensed the video. To view it, go to the Vickie Sheffer Adkins Fulton page on Facebook. The video was posted March 2.
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