A sweet pit bull terrier named Roxy helped a boy with Asperger's syndrome hug his mom for the first time.
Joey Granados, 14, is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum - but he hates physical contact of any kind.
His mom, Amanda Grandos, always wanted to comfort her son (who was diagnosed with the syndrome at age 7) with hugs and kisses, but she never could.
Once Roxy the pit bull terrier entered the Grandos' lives they were changed forever.
"I get emotional thinking about it," Ms. Granados told TODAY. "For all those years, he wouldn't hold my hand, he wouldn't hug me - it was all part of the autism - but this dog has taught him how to give and show affection. He holds my hand now! He hugs me! The first time I got a kiss on the cheek was when Roxy came home."
The Grandos' met Roxy at the Best Friends Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center in Los Angeles during an event where dogs could be adopted for $10.
Ms. Grandos told TODAY that her son and Roxy get along so well because they are both misunderstood in society.
"Kids with autism are looked at differently and misunderstood, and so are pit bulls. I think that's why they've bonded!"
