Animal lovers have fallen in love with the moment a friendly golden retriever met his new sibling for the first time.
Clyde the golden lives with his owner, and was until recently the only dog in the home—until he was surprised with a new baby brother, Marshall.
The pups—two years old and ten weeks old—have the same parents, their owner explained in a later update, making them real siblings. And Clyde immediately took to the puppy on their first meeting, as though aware of the bond they already share.
That meeting was captured on camera and shared to the brothers’ dedicated TikTok account, @carolinaretrievers, on June 25, captioned: “I take my big brother job seriously.”
In the video, liked more than 1.8 million times, a man gently holds Clyde back by the collar as his owner walks into the room holding his tiny sibling, and the older dog is whining with anticipation and practically jumping on the spot.
As then-baby Marshall is placed on the floor, Clyde comes up for a curious sniff—and it’s clear he likes what he smells, as his tail wags furiously while inspecting the new arrival.
Marshall, too, quickly takes to his older brother, his tiny tail wagging in unison, and before long he’s following the older dog everywhere.
And Clyde, settling into the big brother role, drops multiple toys at Marshall’s feet—a chew toy and a pillow—both of which are almost as big as the puppy himself.
Viewers had a big reaction, watching the video more than 10 million times, one writing: “I love that goldens are always so excited to meet their new siblings.”
“The difference between cats meeting and dogs meeting [is] soooo different,” another laughed, as another predicted: “They’re gonna be best friends.”
Others worried the introduction should have taken place more slowly, or in a neutral area. Despite Clyde and Marshall instantly getting along, it is generally advised for the dog and puppy to meet somewhere that is not the older dog’s home, before traveling home and walking into the house together.
This is because a puppy coming into a dog’s established home may seem like an invasion of territory to the older animal, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
In Clyde and Marshall’s case, the two brothers now appear to do everything together, as their TikTok account is filled with the pets napping together, celebrating the 4th of July, going on car journeys, long walks, and trips to the beach, and even sharing a stick to chew on.
Newsweek has contacted @carolinaretrievers via TikTok for comment on this story.
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