Dog's Reaction to Seeing Grandma in Care Home Melts Hearts: 'Deep Feelings'
A viral video showing the moment a dog ran to see her grandma in the care home where she's staying is melting hearts on TikTok.
The adorable clip was posted by user @adammandell29, showing how excited the pup was to run inside and greet her grandma inside her "memory care home." Since it was posted on June 12, the video has tugged on many heartstrings, already amassing over 598,600 views and more than 73,800 likes.
In the video, the cavapoo (a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix) can barely contain her excitement as she eagerly waits by the door to run inside. As soon as she lays eyes on her grandma, who has Alzheimer's disease, there's nothing stopping her from leaping onto the couch and smothering her in kisses.
While the owner regularly shares clips of his dog and his mom together, he will never tire of seeing the loving bond they share. Despite being a regular occurrence, he said it "never gets old" to see his dog's excitable reaction as they walk into the care home.
It's no secret that dogs can brighten our days, but research has also shown that their presence can greatly boost the wellbeing of residents in care homes.
According to a review that was published by the National Institutes of Health, people in care homes were able to develop meaningful relationships with animals and they derived pleasure and comfort from having them around.
Having regular interaction with animals allowed care home residents to maintain a sense of self, and those with dementia were able to express their identities too. The review noted that encouraging interaction with animals can make people feel more at home while living in a care home. It's good for staff too.
TikTok user @adammandell29 frequently shares clips showing the impact that Alzheimer's is having on his mom, but he loves putting a smile on her face by regularly taking his dog to see her grandma.
Since he shared the sweet clip on June 12 showing how eager his cavapoo was to see her grandma once again, the viral video has generated more than 660 comments on TikTok. It delighted plenty of social media users who can't get enough of seeing how happy the duo makes each other.
One TikTok user commented: "This is why I love animals more than humans."
Another person responded: "Their bond is beautiful."
While another TikToker wrote: "The important thing is she knows the dog, it triggered long term memory and brought it into her current short-term memory. Another gift dogs give to us, deep feelings of love."
Newsweek reached out to @adammandell29 via Facebook for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.
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