Settling into his new home, a rescue dog was overjoyed to find out that his old shelter buddy lived right next door.
In a lively video shared on the TikTok account goosegooseduckling, two dogs gleefully romp around a backyard, clearly thrilled to be in each other’s company, basking in the sunny day. It’s evident that these two are no strangers to each other.
The heartwarming scene is made even more extraordinary by the unique circumstances surrounding it. To see the video, click here.
Both pups were rescued as puppies and spent about six months together before being adopted separately, as explained in the caption accompanying the video.
Living next door to each other now, despite being a two-hour drive away from their original shelter, is quite a surprise. “Such a small world,” the caption notes. Their reunion would not have been as special if they didn’t recall each other.
There was a time when people believed dogs couldn’t remember much. However, a study published in the journal Current Biology in 2016 revealed that dogs do have episodic memory, allowing them to remember past events similar to how humans do and link them to their current actions and feelings.
Testing 17 dogs in the study, they found that dogs could recall previously learned tasks in 33 out of 35 cases, proving their episodic memory.
The two dogs in the viral video seem to recognize each other, as the owner filming, Celeste, mentions how quickly they became “instant friends.”
“They definitely remember,” a viewer commented on the clip. “I think so too,” replied the owner. “They always remember,” added another viewer.
“I love that for them,” expressed a viewer, with the owner responding, “It makes my heart so happy.” Another TikTok user said, “Thank you both for saving these wonderful doggos,” while another commented, “That’s pretty awesome, they look like they had a blast!”
Confirming the dogs’ joy, Celeste’s owner shared, “Celeste has slept so soundly since!”