An owner decided to test his dogs’ memories after being away for a week, and how they reacted when he walked past melted people’s hearts.
Pete Myers went on a weeklong vacation, leaving his sons in charge of taking care of the dogs, Jessie and Jasper. Before his return, Myers arranged for his sons to walk the dogs outside, and he would come from the opposite direction, he told Newsweek via Instagram. Myers wanted to see if Jessie and Jasper would recognize him if he walked past with his head down and a hood covering his face.
“It was hard to ignore them when I had not seen them for a week, but we tried to be as natural as possible to see what their reaction would be,” Myers said.
One of his sons captured the moment on camera, which he shared on his Instagram account, @petes_goldenadventures, on September 20. His sons walked the dogs in the rain, which made Myers believe he would go incognito. However, the older golden retriever, Jessie, proved observant, and that a dog’s sense of smell is too strong for deception.
Jessie instantly whipped her head around when Myers walked past, sniffing with excitement as she realized he had returned. Myers pretended to ignore her, but she continued to follow him with her tail wagging the entire time. She also glanced over at the others, hoping they’d stop and realize who it was.
“I loved the way she suddenly picked up my scent on my hand,” Myers said. “It was like she thought, ‘Wait a minute, that is my dad. What is he doing here and why is he ignoring me!'”
Soon enough, Jasper picked up on what was going on and joined his sister. That’s when, Myers said, he couldn’t ignore them anymore. He turned toward them and bent down, giving them endless pets. The dogs couldn’t stand still, wiggling their bodies enthusiastically.
“They always give the best greetings no matter how long you have been away,” he said.
Myers and his dogs have a special relationship, as they’ve been accompanying him on treks through the mountains of England. He is planning to hike all 254 English mountains and the 100 peaks across the United Kingdom in an attempt to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
Viewer Reactions
The Instagram video reached over 73,300 views within four days of posting, with viewers falling head over heels for the dogs’ sweet reaction.
“I love how as you passed, he was like, ‘Waymint, Dad?!?'” wrote one person.
Another added: “Best dogs! The sniffer doesn’t lie!!”
A third user said: “You can lie to them but not their noses.”
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