A woman has delighted the internet by revealing how she found love and comfort while her boyfriend was away in the military—by getting three golden retrievers.

When Louisa Grimsdell's partner, Cameron, joined the military in 2021, she felt so overwhelmed by the sudden change to their lives. Although it's often said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, Grimsdell, 22, hated spending weeks, sometimes even months, away from her boyfriend.

Grimsdell's mom hated seeing her "so heartbroken" and found the perfect way to cheer her up. Six months after Cameron left, she surprised her daughter with a golden retriever puppy named Willow.

"This has been my dream dog since I was so young, and she meant I was never lonely," Grimsdell of Northern Ireland told Newsweek. "Everyone was in love with her, and when Cameron met her a few months later, he loved her too."

Willow gave Grimsdell something to smile about again, and they became inseparable from the very beginning. However, there were plenty more surprises in store for Grimsdell.

One year on from getting Willow, a friend asked Grimsdell to dog sit her pit bulls and she simply "fell in love with them." She saw how happy Willow was to have other dogs around and friends to play with.

"When they went home, she was gutted, so my mum suggested getting another dog. I was really on the fence, but I knew that I wanted to rescue if I was to get another pup," Grimsdell continued.

She had very little hope of that dream coming true as she didn't recall seeing a golden retriever up for adoption in the past. However, several weeks later, she saw a post about Oscar, a golden retriever puppy in need of a home, and she knew it was "meant to be."

Grimsdell immediately contacted the rescue and offered to give Oscar a forever home. Just a few days later, she made the 7-hour road trip to collect him.

"When we got to the rescue, Oscar was so frightened, and he didn't even look like a retriever at that point. But we knew he was coming home with us," she said. "Then out came this pup who also didn't look like a retriever and was about the size of our hand. We were told she was Oscar's sister and the runt of the litter, and we couldn't possibly leave one behind, so they both came with us."

In the space of a few days, Willow went from being the only dog child, to suddenly having two younger siblings in Oscar and Smiler.

Grimsdell doesn't know exactly how old the pups were when she rescued them, but a veterinarian estimated around 4 months old.

"We were told they were from a puppy farm and came in in awful shape, so they weren't sold and left to be put down. Oscar had funny ears as he'd been bitten by his mum and had a stitched ear with a big scar. As for Smiler, she was so tiny, not in the best health, and has a cleft lip. She has a permanent smile, which looks funny but she's so cute," Grimsdell added.

It took a while for both dogs to settle into their new home, and plenty of vet appointments to help them gain weight healthily as they were severely underweight. Needless to say, Willow adores her new siblings, and the trio have become the best of friends.

"They sleep together, cuddle, play, and if one barks, they all bark. They just love each other; it's so beautiful. They're all completely different personalities, but it works well," Grimsdell told Newsweek. "Oscar is the cuddliest, he has no personal space and is a massive baby. Smiler's a couch potato who doesn't like to move unless it's for a cuddle, and Willow is the boss."

When Cameron first left, there wasn't a single wagging tail in the house—and now they have three. Thankfully, he saw the humor in it and "wasn't surprised in the slightest" that Grimsdell brought them all home.

TikTok Users React

Grimsdell shared a post to TikTok (@louisagrimsdellll) last month explaining how she ended up with three golden retrievers while Cameron was away. It delighted the internet, leading to over 3.7 million views and 708,200 likes in a matter of days.

The reaction is beyond anything she expected, but she hopes it will encourage more people to consider giving a rescue dog a second chance.

"I'm known for being the craziest dog mum, so no one was shocked. I never imagined we would be in this position or be so lucky that our rescue journey was so easy. They can be badly behaved and messy, but if you own a golden retriever you'll know," she said. "I'd really encourage people to rescue as they are so grateful for any sort of love. There are rescue dogs that suit everyone's needs, so please look into it."

With over 1,700 comments on the viral TikTok post, many lauded the hilarity of her story, while others praised her for rescuing Oscar and Smiler.

One user wrote: "The love story we all needed."

Another added: "This is so pure."

"Thank you so much for rescuing these little babies," a third user commented.

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