A California woman’s birthday surprise for her golden retriever has gone viral after the dog was reunited with his mom and littermates for the first time since leaving the breeder—and the family instantly recognized one another.
Mary Graham shared the moment on TikTok, where her video of 1‑year‑old Kermit racing toward his mother and siblings has racked up tens of thousands of views. “I had no idea it was gonna do as well as it did,” she told Newsweek. “I guess people thought it was as cute as we did, and that made me so happy. Because I think it was the cutest thing in the world.”
Graham said that Kermit turned 1 on January 17, and she stayed in contact with the other puppy owners ever since they all brought their dogs home at 8 weeks old.
“We texted and talked about the trials and tribulations of raising a puppy (which is hard) throughout this last year,” Graham said. “We would validate each other—‘is your puppy doing this too?’ ‘Omg [oh my God] yes he is, so glad it’s not just Kermit’—and provide ideas, help and support to each other.”
The puppy breeder played a big role too, creating a Facebook group so all the new owners could watch the puppies grow. “We all always talked about how cute it would be to do a playdate,” Graham said, but distance made scheduling nearly impossible—until the breeder suggested a first birthday party.
Everyone agreed instantly. The group picked a central meeting spot and drove in from across the region—one family traveling nearly two hours—unsure how the pups would react after so long apart.
But what happened next stunned them.
“I assumed there would be some innate knowledge that they were family…but they knew that was their mama,” Graham said. “They followed her around the whole time, and did everything she did. She led them like a pack, so proud.”
The litter looked so identical that, once everyone put on their birthday bandannas, even the owners struggled to tell them apart. “We had no idea who was who until their quirks showed,” Graham said. “Kermit never left his mom’s side so he was easy to spot. One was a really fast runner, one jumped really high, and one always ran back to check with his owner.”
For two straight hours, the golden retrievers chased, wrestled, and tumbled across the grass while their humans couldn’t stop “smiling and giggling.” Each pup received birthday gifts and pup cups to celebrate.
Even the breeder was emotional. “She noted this was the first full litter reunion she has ever had or seen! She was so touched that she got to see all her babies too,” Graham said, adding that this was their mom Violet’s fourth and final litter.
Internet Reacts
As the video gained more attention on TikTok, lots of pet lovers shared their reactions in the comments.
“Imagine you bring back the wrong one,” said one commenter, while another wrote: “I’d get confused and bring them all home.”
“The mom looks so proud. I’m about to cry,” said a third viewer on TikTok.
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