After devouring his morning meal, Fronky, a 180-pound mastiff, eagerly rushes outdoors, anticipating the arrival of his cherished friend, Shaun, the letter carrier.
“Fronky is well aware that Shaun, his best friend and the letter carrier, is scheduled to visit him after breakfast,” revealed Eileen, Fronky’s mom. “Filled with anticipation and excitement, Fronky can’t wait to head outside. It’s like he’s saying, ‘Alright, can I go out now?’”
Eileen noted that if Shaun takes too much time in her truck, organizing all the mail and packages, Fronky becomes restless.
“If Shaun is delayed, Fronky will stand on the fence. For someone unfamiliar with Fronky, it can be a bit overwhelming,” she remarked. “He’s 180 pounds, and he doesn’t realize he’s twice as big as Shaun.”
However, there was a time when Fronky wasn’t twice as big as Shaun. Their friendship started when Fronky was just 7 weeks old.
“The two of them bonded right away, from day one,” Eileen shared. “It’s been an ongoing thing. They see each other pretty much every day unless she’s off.”
Shaun is the highlight of Fronky’s day, and Eileen believes Fronky is one of the highlights of Shaun’s day, too.
“Her job is very stressful and her route is super long,” Eileen said. “I think just having this little break with Fronky helps her out and gives her something to look forward to.”
Sometimes Shaun can only stay long enough to give Fronky a treat and drop the mail, but most of the time, she makes time to give Fronky lots of scratches and pets on his head. “And even at the end when she leaves, every time she either says, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ or, if she’s off, she says, ‘I won’t see you for a couple of days,’” Eileen said. “She always lets him know.”
Ever since developing a fondness for Shaun, Fronky has extended his efforts to acquaint himself with everyone passing by his yard. Eileen mentioned, “He knows everyone on our block,” including delivery workers like UPS drivers and other USPS mail carriers.
Nevertheless, Fronky reserves a unique affection for Shaun. Eileen expressed her joy, stating, “It just makes me so happy that every day he has this great moment of happiness in his life to look forward to with Shaun.” She added that Fronky anticipates her even on Sundays, her day off, sometimes waiting by the fence until nighttime.
“Shaun sort of has become part of our family,” she continued. “As soon as [Fronky] hears her voice, his tail is just out of control … I think her relationship with Fronky is really special to her, [too]. I like that it’s a mutual love. I feel like she loves him as much as he loves her.”