When Hayden Kristal brought Bitsy home five years ago, her dad, Steve, had some reservations. He worried about what type of life the 5-week-old deaf and blind dog would have, and if she’d be able to go around on her own.

Yet Steve’s anxieties were dispelled as soon as he met the hyperactive, happy-go-lucky dog.

“She has been her own lady since day one,” Kristal told The Dodo. “The first thing she did when I got her home was to make a beeline for the food dish, burrow into it and eat till she passed out.”

Bitsy is far from the helpless dog her grandpa anticipated. She’s been all around the nation with her mom – hiking, kayaking, riding the metro and even skating. “Bitsy is the kindest, friendliest, most loving and devoted dog in the world,” Kristal added. “She is brave and spunky and she loves adventure!”

Kristal’s dad loves his granddog more than he could’ve ever dreamed, and the two hang out together whenever they get the chance.

“He is her number one admirer and her biggest champion,” Kristal added. “He will tell anybody who would listen about what an incredible dog she is and how much he loves her. He performs the traditional grandpa stuff of indulging her with goodies and toys and she loves to just hang out around him.”

Yet when COVID limits went into place last year, Bitsy and her mom’s lives slowed down. Among the biggest challenges for Kristal and Bitsy was that they had to be separated from relatives — including Kristal’s dad.

Nearly a year later, Bitsy was finally able to join her grandpa for an emotional reunion:

After so long apart, Steve worried that Bitsy wouldn’t remember him. Yet nothing could’ve been farther from the truth. “As soon as I got within scent range, she absolutely lost her mind with joy,” Steve Kristal posted on Facebook. “So did I.”

“Once again Bitsy demonstrated that the talents she has are far more outstanding than the ones she’s missing,” he continued. “What a wonderfully great and loving soul. Maybe you can tell from this video how much we adore one other.”

Kristal knew all along that her devoted dog would never forget a human who loved so profoundly for her. And the world appears a little brighter for everyone now that the family is united again.