A social media video of a dog meeting his owners by surprise after seven months apart has tugged at heartstrings across the internet. The viral video, which has been viewed more than 6.5 million times since it was first shared to TikTok on September 30, captured Sonny being surprised by the sudden arrival of his paw-rents after they went travelling without him for a number of months.
The heartfelt video showed the dog to be deeply moved by his owners' return. The golden retriever who's named Sonny raced to meet his owners at the entrance to their property, and was filmed wagging his tail and zooming around with excitement and joy.
The video had been aptly captioned: "There's no place like home."
@madisonbbm Theres no place like home
♬ Home - Edith Whiskers
The video's creator, a lifestyle blogger named Madison, lives in Australia and uses her platform to speak about her fitness coaching, holidays and share cute dog moments.
It's common for dogs to form strong attachments to their owners and siblings, and being apart from the key members of their household for any period of time, especially seven months, can cause or trigger separation anxiety. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) writes online that separation-related behavior occurs when a dog is left alone.
"In many cases, the behavior is a result of distress," writes the RSPCA.
Common signs of separation anxiety include a dog howling or barking, peeing indoors or being destructive when left alone or kept apart from their loved ones.
The animal welfare organization recommends that dogs prone to separation anxiety be left in a stress-free environment with toys they are fond of or people they know to minimize any discomfort they may feel. Over time and with training and persistence, separation anxiety can be reversed.
What Do the Comments Say?
Since it was shared on September 30 by @MadisonBBM, the TikTok post has been liked by over 595,000 users and commented on more than 4,400 times. Plenty of TikTokers have shared their shock at the length of time Sonny had been without his parents.
"No travel is worth leaving my babies for that long," one user wrote.
Another user added: "Not me waiting for two golden retriever parents to come running up."
"I can't believe these comments I'm reading. This made me feel better. I am leaving my pup for 6 months to travel, but I know she is in good hands," commented a third user.
The video's creator responded to the comment: "As long as she gets her needs met, she will be ok. You also deserve to live your life. A happy owner makes a happy pup."
The TikTok post can be seen here.
Newsweek reached out to @MadisonBBM via TikTok for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Melissa Fleur Afshar is a Newsweek Life and Trends Reporter based in London, United Kingdom.
Her current focus is on trending stories and human-interest features, ranging from relationships, pets, and personal finances to health, wellbeing, work, travel, and family dynamics. She has covered current affairs, social issues, and lifestyle stories extensively.
Melissa joined Newsweek in 2023 from Global's LBC and had previously worked at financial news publication WatersTechnology, TMRW magazine, The Times and The Sunday Times, Greater London-based radio broadcaster Insanity Radio, and alongside other journalists or producers for research purposes. Since joining Newsweek, Melissa has been especially focused on covering under-reported women's health and social issues and has spent a large part of her time researching the physical and emotional impact of both the contraceptive pill and abusive relationships.
Prior to that, Melissa had been specialized in reporting on financial technology and data news, political news, and current affairs. She has covered data management news from industry giants like Bloomberg and Symphony, alongside the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the U.K economy's 2022-pound sterling crash, multiple National Health Service (NHS) strikes, and the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.
A show that she produced and presented at the Greater London-based community radio station, Insanity Radio, was awarded 'Best Topical News Show' and the runner up award for 'Best New Radio Show' on the network.
She is a graduate in MA History from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Languages: English, Persian.
You can get in touch with Melissa by emailing m.afshar@newsweek.com.
You can follow her on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram at @melissafleura.
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