Suburban Chicago dog and postman forge heartwarming friendship, go viral on social media

CHICAGO - Postal workers and dogs are notorious for being enemies, but one local pair is breaking that stigma.

In Hoffman Estates, a little pup and her postman have forged a friendship that's going viral. Frannie and Postman Dan Larsen are now lovingly referred to as "FranDan."

Every morning during delivery time, Monday through Saturday, you can find Frannie the long-haired Chihuahua waiting at her door for her favorite person to arrive. When Postman Dan pulls up at the mailbox, the door is opened for Frannie so she can run out and greet him.

This has been going on since 2021, when owner Lisa Laskey went out to get the mail and decided to introduce the two of them. Frannie went nuts.

"The mailman had just pulled up. I didn't really know the guy. I said, ‘Hey, you want to meet the newest member of my family?’ And I was holding her really close because she was tiny. And he said, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?’ And he turned his truck off. He got out of the mail truck, handed her to him, and she went bonkers kissing his face like just over and over and over, like she knew him for years and years. And she was, you know, barely 12 weeks old. And I thought, this is super unusual," Lisa said.

She couldn't believe Frannie's reaction, so she posted a video on TikTok because it made her so happy. Apparently, it made a lot of other people happy as well because a few days later, she had one million views.

She now has followers who have coined themselves "Frannie Nation" from all over the world, with more than 16 million views for one posting.

Lisa had t-shirts and swag made with the proceeds going to a Schaumburg rescue organization.

People on social media are saying Frannie must be a lost love of Dan's who has come back in the form of a dog.

Whatever is truly going on, it's a love story that is making "FranDan" social media celebrities and touching the hearts of people around the world.