While a dog's time with their owners is far too short, their legacy continues long after they've crossed over the rainbow bridge, and one daughter has learned that her father's memory of his beloved dog is now being passed onto her.

TikTok user @coffeeprincessirl was going through her dad's lockbox when she discovered a photo of a dog and a note along with it. Despite it being from 20 years ago, the photo and note made her immediately burst into "ugly baby tears." It hit her that her dad "was just a boy who lost his best friend."

Her dad wrote his dog's name, Dutchess, on the note along with the day's date and the date she was scheduled to be put down. He drew a sad face with many tears on the paper and wrote: "I will miss you." It was his way of expressing his heartbreak over his beloved dog. He kept those items to remember Dutchess, and 20 years later, his daughter is now crying over how much he loved that dog.

She told Newsweek via TikTok that the dog was alive when she was born. However, the dog was "super old and sick and got put down" when she was about 1. She doesn't remember the dog, but her dad always talked about his canine companion. The photo and note made her realize the significance of the impact the canine had on her dad's life. And now she'll remember Dutchess too, despite not having a relationship with the dog.

"He's never been the sentimental type so seeing that after all those years really cut deep," she said.

"He used to go on long walks of their route and just sit in the field he used to take her for hours," she said. "My mom said she never saw him cry so much."

And while it's heartbreaking to see these items kept in her dad's lockbox, it's also a reminder to her how much her dad loved Dutchess, a feeling that will never be taken away, no matter how many years have passed.

Viewer Reactions

The heartbreaking TikTok video amassed over 335,900 views, 56,800 likes and 376 comments as of Wednesday. Viewers, unfortunately, know the feeling that comes with grieving a dog.

"I still think about my childhood dog often and he died 10 yrs ago now," said a viewer.

Another added: "The many, many tears is what got me. Mans was absolutely sobbing as he wrote this."

A third person wrote: "I lost my Henry boy in 2001. Got him as a pup in 1988. I still think about him every single day. His bark has faded from my memory but all his quirks that made him, him I still remember."

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