A video of a golden retriever puppy reacting to her best friend's name has racked up over 828,000 views on TikTok.
The October 2 clip shared to an account dedicated to Nova, the 8-month-old pup (@novathegoldenn) shows lying on the floor enjoying a treat until she hears the name "Stevie."
Within seconds, the food-motivated dog drops her snack and starts to tilt her head and even appears to smile as her owner Katie, 28, asks if the Doberman Stevie is her best friend.
Katie, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, told Newsweek that Nova's social life is thriving, and she met Stevie at the dog park.
"They see each other pretty much every day," she said. "They have a whole group of friends there that meet every day to play! And they all know each other's names."
During the clip, Katie also mentions the name Honey, which causes Nova's head to adorably tilt. She told Newsweek: "They love going to the park to see their friends."
In the comments, Katie told one user: "She sees them more than I see my own friends."
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), puppy socialization and training classes can create positive experiences which will help build the canine's confidence and develop their character.
Dogs do indeed know words and what they mean, according to a study published by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. The research found that when dogs hear certain words, they can envision matching objects in their brain.
"Dogs do not only react with a learned behavior to certain words," Marianna Boros, of the Department of Ethology at the Eötvös Loránd University, said in a statement. "They also don't just associate that word with an object based on temporal contiguity without really understanding the meaning of those words, but they activate a memory of an object when they hear its name."
So there is a chance an image of Stevie springs to mind in Nova's head when she hears the name. Either way, her adorable reaction has gathered almost 112,000 likes and more than 337 comments.
"Must have been important to stop chewing mid chew lol," pointed out one user, and another said: "For a golden to drop food, it's serious."
"Sometimes I wish dogs could talk...because they really be wanting to say lotta things," said a third commenter.
"He's smiling thinking about his best friends," said a fourth user, adding: "Dogs are the most pure beautiful creatures on earth."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Related Articles
- Internet Can't Cope With Habits Senior Dog Has Started in Old Age
- Woman Setting Up Board Game After 10 Years Finds Heartbreaking Surprise
- Pet Cam Captures Moment 'Neediest' Dog Finally Has Parents to Himself
- How Dog Siblings Cuddle Each Other Leaves Internet in Tears