Hearts have melted at the unexpected bond between a tiny dog and her best friend—an elderly man who lives in a nearby care home.
Prinnie the toy poodle lives in Australia with her owner, Madi, and is a completely adored pet, even boasting her own Instagram page, @prinniethepoodle.
The adorable pup has tens of thousands of followers who keep up with her daily adventures, and there’s one part of her story that leads her to go viral again and again.
That is, her friendship with their elderly neighbor, John, who lives in a care home nearby.
In one video posted in February, Madi is seen taking Prinnie for a walk around the neighborhood, when she suddenly recognizes the man on the path up ahead of her.
And she has an instant reaction: her tail wags furiously, she hops on the spot, and starts pulling her owner towards John as quickly as possible.
John, who is using a walker, hears the commotion and turns around with a bright smile on his face, before turning around and sitting on the walker in order to shower Prinnie with pats and attention—and then lifts her up into his lap, where she tries to shower him, in turn, with kisses.
Madi wrote: “If you’re new here, my dog has a best friend from the nursing home near our house. We met him when Prinnie was just a tiny puppy and it was like love at first sight.
“They have been inseparable since.”
Madi added: “I swear they were soul mates in another life,” and wrote in the caption: “The friendship we never expected but can’t imagine life without.”
Viewers were in tears, awarding the video close to 30,000 likes as one user wrote: “The way she hurries to him. Wishing John all the very best and hope he is well.”
“They are old souls reuniting. How beautiful to see,” another said, while one wrote: “Beautiful. What a friendship.”
And as one summed it up: “I cannot measure the joy this always brings me. Really makes my day.”
Toy poodles like Prinnie are known for being affectionate towards their families, and forming strong bonds with the people they know well.
At the same time, the breed is noted for their high intelligence and self-confidence, making them a bright, responsive and people-oriented companion.
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.