Old Navy Surprises 5-Year-Old Boy with Autism with His Own Mannequin Store Dog: 'Very Grateful'
The mom of a 5-year-old boy with autism is praising Old Navy for going above and beyond after her son was surprised with his own mannequin store dog. Rebecca Harlow addressed the sweet gesture in a July 10 post on Facebook and noted that it occurred while she was visiting the Clovis, California store with her son, Heath, and her daughter.
During their shopping trip, Harlow said her son became distraught after noticing that the Old Navy mannequin dog, whom he lovingly dubbed "Magic," wasn't positioned at the front of the store like usual. "You know the one. The happy, smiling figure that greets you at the door. Today the dog was not there among his mannequin friends," Harlow explained. "Heath was immediately upset and proceeded to hurry through the store, anxiety mounting, crying out 'Dog!? Where did you go?! Where are you?! He's gone!!'"
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In an attempt to mend the situation, Harlow said she found an employee and quietly asked where the dog was but was told he was currently not on display. "I thanked her and explained that Heath has autism and becomes distressed when there is a change in the expected and we went on our way," the mom wrote. But what Harlow didn't expect was for that same employee to later approach her with good news: the dog was back on display and Heath could see him on their way out.
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Finishing up her post, Harlow praised the employee "for bringing happiness to a little boy who has a hard time in this world." "You made him smile and for that, I am so very grateful," she wrote. "Her gesture... meant far more than she knows." Following Harlow's heartfelt post, Old Navy's corporate team caught wind of the story — and wanted to do more for Heath. The team invited Heath and his family back to the store on Friday. This time, Heath not only got to see Magic, but he also got to bring home his own mannequin dog.
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I love hearing stories like this. Thanks for posting.
