Ashley Schoon is happy whenever she’s with her bulldog puppy Muffin — but for one brief moment, their world was extra special thanks to a colorful little visitor.
Twitter/Ashley Schoon
The other week, Schoon was playing with 9-month-old Muffin in the park when a monarch butterfly decided to drop by to say hi. Muffin, who acts as Schoon’s emotional support dog, is usually calm and attuned to emotions — but on this day, the little pup was showing off her rambunctious side while soaking up the sun.
“She was going nuts because she was really hyper … when all of a sudden a butterfly landed on her,” Schoon told The Dodo. “She didn’t even know what to do. She was so confused as to what the heck just landed on her face.”
Twitter/Ashley Schoon
Muffin immediately calmed down and let the butterfly perch on her stomach. “I was scared she was going to try to eat it,” Schoon said. “But she decided to lay all the way flat on her back and just let the butterfly stay on her tummy.”
The little pup wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but she knew she had to be gentle with her delicate friend. Muffin sprawled in the grass, paws out, and completely vulnerable as she let the butterfly wander up her stomach and onto her chest.
Muffin was curious, but she knew better than to move too quickly and scare the butterfly. After a few minutes, the butterfly took flight, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave. “It landed on [Muffin’s] chin and she tried to look up at it without it going away,” Schoon said.
Twitter/Ashley Schoon
Whether Muffin calmed the butterfly down, or the butterfly calmed Muffin down, Schoon will never know. But there seemed to be a special understanding between the two animals. “She actually calms a lot of animals down, even ones that aren’t dogs,” Schoon said. “Maybe that’s why the butterfly decided to land on her.”
Twitter/Ashley Schoon
Schoon managed to snap some pictures of the sweet interaction and posted them on Twitter that night. The internet’s heartwarming reaction to her photos made Schoon even more proud to be Muffin’s mom.
“People on Twitter have been saying how much her photos have helped them forget about how bad the world is right now, just for a little bit, and I love that,” Schoon said. “She’s helped me so much and she’s even helping strangers that she’s never met before and that makes me so happy. The world needs some light right now.”
“She’s a very special dog,” she added.