Hearts have melted as a chihuahua proved her bond with her owner by catching her scent on a busy street.
Data analyst Jessica Barrera, 31, lives in Miami and is the proud owner of chihuahua Chloe, who has her own dedicated TikTok account, @chloethechi4.
"I love showing Chloe to people, specifying that she's a chihuahua because they have this bad reputation, that they're mean little dogs," Barrera told Newsweek.
"She is the complete opposite, a huge people person, loves being outside. She is a social butterfly!"
Chihuahuas are popular as family pets thanks to their loving and loyal nature towards their owners, and their small size allowing them to be brought on errands with their owners. They may have a tendency towards barking at other people and dogs, according to a vet-reviewed report from PetMD.
Barrera has had Chloe since she was a puppy, and the pair have a strong bond—as proven by a viral video posted on May 3, where Barrera tested her dog to see if she'd recognize her on a busy street, while she sat "silently" on a bench.
"My boyfriend brought her down to go on a walk and meet me downstairs," she explained. "I live downtown, so there are a lot of people walking around outside my apartment building."
A video captured the moment Barrera recorded Chloe on the street, and at first it appeared the dog was too caught up in the sights and scents of the busy street to notice her.
But then Chloe seems to notice something: she stops dead in her tracks and begins sniffing the air.
Chloe then walks right past Barrera, but stops again and looks at a person on the bench opposite her, and then stops to sniff the air again—as though she has caught her owner's scent somewhere in the air, but can't be sure where it's coming from.
And then the moment: Chloe approaches Barrera on the bench, gives her another sniff for good measure, and begins jumping, twisting and wagging her tail furiously, delighted to have met her owner unexpectedly.
"You can see the second she smells me," Barrera wrote on the video, which has been liked over 1 million times and viewed a whopping 5 million times.
Barrera told Newsweek: "For a second, when she passed me I was sad that she didn't recognize me. But then, she stopped and began sniffing the air, I knew she had found me.
"It was so impressive how she smelled me even though I've been gone all day at work. I was amazed!"
TikTok users loved the video, one commenter pointed out "her squinting so she can smell better," and another writing: "Chihuahuas are the most loyal dogs around."
"She seemed so sad when she smelled you but couldn't find you," another wrote alongside a tearful emoji, as another described it as Chloe "smelled u...poor baby just couldn't figure out exactly where you were."
Barrera told Newsweek she and Chloe are "attached to the hip," and she takes her "everywhere they'll allow dogs."
"She means the world to me, she's my baby, and it's always heartwarming to see others appreciate our bond."
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