A man's loving care of his aging Labrador retriever, which his partner described as a "green flag," has been widely praised online.
In a viral TikTok video uploaded by tatyana.jade, she shows off her boyfriend with his Labrador, Simba, in a pool. The caption reads: "My boyfriend's green flag is that he would literally do anything for his dog." A green flag refers to positive actions or traits in a person.
As dogs age it becomes obvious to many owners that they need to care more and more for them. The man in the footage shows that with a little love, a pet's twilight years can be as bright as their earlier ones.
The video caption explained: "Simba needs a pool to do hydrotherapy because he's having trouble walking in his older age - no problem. I'll buy him a pool and do the sessions with him myself."
As the clip continued, the man could be seen with Simba at his birthday party, where he got to open gifts and "knows how special he is to everyone." The following segment showed Simba walking with a carriable back brace that was held by a physio.
A caption read: "Simba's back legs are hurting. No problem - we'll sign him up for weekly physio sessions to try and reinforce his muscles."
@tatyana.jade the best dog dad 🫶🏻 love you babe @iamchrisjames #dogdadsoftiktok #dogdad #greenflagsinmen #greenflags #cutedogs #dogsofttiktok
♬ original sound - 🐌
On his own TikTok, Chris James could be seen showering Simba with love and affection, as well as taking him outdoors.
According to the Animal Pet Products Association (APPA), there are an estimated 65.1 million dogs that are owned in the U.S. This means dogs are the most popular pet in the country, far ahead of cats at 46.5 million.
The APPA added that 33 percent of pet owners are classified as millenials, followed by Generation X at 25 percent and then Baby Boomers on 24 percent.
Since being shared on the social media platform last week, the post has attracted an estimated 1 million views and more than 131,800 likes.
The overwhelming majority of people who commented on the video praised the man and Simba.
TikTok user Lea said: "This is what being a pet owner is all about. Those are our babies and they deserve the world. Beautiful bond to see."
FullStop added: "Sobbing my eyes out. I wish our babies can live forever. No worse feeling than seeing them slow down."
Smith Photo commented: "The life every dog deserves. Thank you guys for giving that to him."
While Kris Falin posted: "I wished I could heart this video 5 million times because I sure would."
Newsweek has contacted tatyana.jade for comment via TikTok.
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