Dog show judge makes little autistic girl's day by letting her show off her stuffed toy dog

It costs nothing to be kind, and a judge of a dog show showed just that when he made time for a little autistic girl. The little girl had come to the dog show with a stuffed dog toy of her own. The act of kindness was filmed and posted on Reddit. The video showed the judge walking up to the little girl holding a stuffed dog toy. He curiously looks at the toy as if judging the 'dog.' He enquires about her 'dog' and the girl can be seen talking about it. He then urges the dog to take the dog for a run in the show area of the dog show. The girl's face immediately lights up at the thought of giving her 'dog' a run-out in the show area.

She already has a leash on the stuffed dog. He once again encourages her to give the dog a runout and she pulls the leash along as the toy dog comes tumbling behind her. The judge also runs along with her as she goes around the show area. As she finishes the 'routine' he claps and opens his arms. Overwhelmed with joy and happiness, she runs toward him and gives him a big hug. The video really tugs at your heartstrings. 

Redditors praised the judge for being inclusive and compassionate. "As a human with autism, I can say this does no end for another's self-evaluation and I agree, we need more people like this!" wrote one person. "I love how at the end he offers a hug but stays where he is. He lets her approach him rather than just hugging her," wrote a Redditor. Another echoed similar thoughts, writing, "This! My nephew has autism and I always ask if I can get a hug. Some days I get it and it’s the best feeling and others I don’t, and I don’t take it personally." Another commended the judge's body language around the girl. "That's the best way, it builds so much confidence when kids are allowed to make their own choices. Kids are their own people and they all have preferences, even something simple like being given the option to reject a hug or being picked up lets them start to exert their own independence. So many behavioral and emotional issues could be avoided if people treated kids with more dignity and autonomy when it comes to space and boundaries," they wrote.

One Redditor said kindness is all about giving your time and attention to someone. "This guy could have said, “oh it’s a busy day, I have lots of judging”, but instead he slowed down to pay attention to who was around him and give them his time. It is easy to feel rushed and then be self-centered about your time," they commented. The video was also shared on Twitter. "Oh my god, I love him running with her... He’s so excited!" tweeted one person. Some couldn't help but add their own humor to the comments section. One person commented, "I got a fright there when she started running with the dog until I realized that it’s a stuffed toy... *PHEW*." Another added, "This was great, but I also found it hilarious to see the fake dog tumbling around."

You can watch the video here: