Man Adopts Puppy, Comes Back With Two As He 'Couldn't Leave' Brother Behind
A man sent to bring home a new puppy to his girlfriend came home with twice as many dogs as he was supposed to—and everyone is loving it.
Victoria Smith, 30, from Florida, splits her time between the U.S. and Argentina with her boyfriend, Marcelo, 32, and the couple recently became paw-rents to two border collie puppies.
The new arrivals came into their family after the death of Smith's elderly black Labrador, Bear, which was "devastating"—and while she knew she wanted another dog someday, she wasn't actively looking.
But then Marcelo's friend let them know a litter of border collies had been born on their farm, and offered one to them after the loss of Bear.
Smith knew she was ready: they picked a female pup with a sweet white face, and Marcelo drove off to collect the new arrival.
Smith told Newsweek: "I was planning to film him bringing her home just for memories, until he told me that he had a surprise and to keep filming."
That surprise has now seen Smith's TikTok account, @vsmithie, rack up hundreds of thousands of views and likes, as a clip shared in September showed the moment Marcelo arrived home with not one, but two puppies.
She wrote on the video, which has almost 2 million views: "POV: Your bfs green flag is that he said he was bringing home a puppy but couldn't leave her brother behind."
It shows Marcelo carrying the pup in his arms and gently dropping her at Smith's feet, before returning for her brother, who is waiting underneath the car. A montage then begins, showing the as-yet-unnamed puppies playing together, exploring their new home, and preparing to "grow up together."
She told Newsweek: "Apparently her brother was the only puppy left who hadn't found a home—he's a lot smaller—and Marcelo didn't want to leave him behind so he brought both home!
"I was completely shocked, but ecstatic because I love dogs."
TikTok users loved the clip, with one user writing: "No man has ever surprised me with two puppies. How's it feel to be God's favorite?"
"If you have one... five more don't matter," another joked. And one commenter shared that they also adopted two border collie littermates, calling it the "smartest thing I ever did," as "they had a lifetime together as best buddies."
Some commenters urged the couple to look into littermate syndrome, which the American Kennel Club describes as a range of behavioral problems that can arise from siblings being raised together, such as the dogs bonding with each other rather than their owner.
Pet owners getting two dogs from the same litter are advised to give them individual attention and time apart, to help them develop into independent, confident adult dogs.
Smith is aware of this, and told Newsweek the two pups have "settled in great," and are also getting time apart for individual training and attention.
She said: "They have such different personalities and we are already completely in love with both. They're the best. It's so funny to see the two play, and it's constant!"
Marcelo's older Labrador, Pepa, "mostly ignores them," but the couple are hopeful that their puppies will soon be able to join their older sister in "exploring the farm, running [in] fields, and going to polo matches. It's a full house with three dogs now, but we can't wait for the years of adventures to come!"
Smith "never expected the video to get so much attention," having shared it simply thinking it was a sweet moment.
"Everyone has been so sweet and there have even been some helpful comments. We can't decide on names so I posted another video and people have been giving suggestions there too."
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