A dog’s adorably devastated reaction to his toy being taken away has broken hearts across the internet.
Golden retriever Baxter lives with his puppy sister Delilah and owner Aliah Kroeze, 27, in Washington, and appears to be living a life of spoiled luxury, as all dogs should.
Kroeze even refers to herself as Baxter and Delilah’s “mom,” an increasingly popular trend among pet owners.
TikTok/ @the.golden.sibs
A survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek found that of 1,046 people, 63 percent admitted to embracing the title of “mommy” or “daddy” when it came to their pets.
And of those surveyed, millennials—people born between 1981 and 1996—were the most likely to take on the titles, with 69 percent of respondents in that demographic proudly declaring themselves mom or dad to their animals.
But while Baxter appears to be spoiled by his owner, one viral TikTok video had thousands of animal lovers demanding the retriever be given more and more toys.
The clip, captioned “when dad takes your toy,” has garnered over 1.7 million likes and 10 million views since being shared on April 18, and shows the moment Baxter’s toy was taken away from him after he started ripping it up.
As Kroeze zoomed in on him, Baxter’s eyes appeared to fill with tears and his mouth began quivering, in a devastatingly human way.
“Oh no, oh no,” Kroeze can be heard saying in the clip shared to her account The Golden Sibs (@the.golden.sibs).
She then burst into laughter as 4-year-old Baxter gave the ultimate tear-filled puppy dog eyes, looking at her with the most heartbroken expression possible.
The adorable video has had a huge reaction, with TikTok users rallying together to “send that baby some toys.”
Kroeze told Newsweek that Baxter was originally her boyfriend’s dog, but “we became so close I pretty much adopted him.”
His heartbroken reaction wasn’t a once-off, either, as she added: “Every time Baxter gets his toys taken from him he chatters his mouth.”
One commenter, reacting to Baxter’s video, wrote: “I’ve never seen a pup with quiver lip,” as another demanded: “Oooh noooo give back that baby’s toy!”
Another said: “this poor baby, if this was my dog he would have me constantly bankrupt, the little lip quivering.. he’s holding back them tears,” and one even joked: “I’m calling paw patrol right now!”
Kroeze explained in the comments: “He shreds toys in one day and we throw them away and this is the face he makes every time.”
She even responded to one commenter, promising “we aren’t horrible parents,” and shared another video showing off the mountain of toys Baxter and Delilah have to play with.
“My golden retriever likes to rip up everything,” she explained in the video, adding in a comment: “The thing is he loves to tear toys. If it’s too hard he doesn’t want it lol.”
It’s clear from the multitude of videos Kroeze has of her two dogs, which includes tiny retriever puppy Delilah, that the two dogs are well cared-for and loved.
And while she told Newsweek that Baxter and Delilah currently have “a love hate relationship,” Baxter is “learning patience with her.”
He’s even teaching her the tricks of the trade, as she said: “Delilah is eight weeks old and is in a teething phase so she bites anything she can get her teeth on.”
Since Baxter’s clip went viral, Kroeze has uploaded plenty of photos and videos of Baxter surrounded by toys—even if it’s only a matter of time before he rips them up.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.