While recovering from surgery, one dog was given a small lamb teddy to cheer her up, but little did she imagine that it would get even better when her owners brought home an even-bigger version of her new favorite toy.
After going through anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, Kona was surprised with a small lamb teddy to keep her company throughout the recovery. Her owner Collyn, from Florida, told Newsweek how comforted Kona was by the stuffed toy. The dog normally “rips up toys within minutes,” but she treated this one far more gently.
Collyn, who doesn’t wish to disclose her full name, noticed that there is an even larger version of the lamb toy, and she couldn’t resist ordering the jumbo one to surprise Kona with.
“She has had the small lambchop for a few weeks now. It was a gift from my coworker to her after she had ACL surgery,” Collyn told Newsweek. “She didn’t so much play with it as much as she would just take it with her and lay with it. She would use it as a pillow, which was adorable and quite unusual for her.
“She seemed to really love the mini lambchop, so we thought we’d surprise her with the larger one. She’d been going through a hard time after surgery, and she isn’t allowed to run around and play like usual as she recovers,” Collyn added.
@makoandkonasmom / TikTok
PetMD says that recovery after an ACL surgery can take between four and six weeks. Then it is a case of slowly incorporating more activity over a span of eight to 12 weeks. Dogs shouldn’t overexert themselves following the surgery and will need to take it easy so the leg can heal.
Collyn’s family recorded the moment when Kona, a chocolate Labrador, boxer, shepherd, and Staffordshire terrier mix, was surprised with her giant lamb toy, and her reaction was nothing short of pure joy. The clip was posted on Kona’s dedicated TikTok account (@makoandkonasmom) on October 19, and it has already been viewed more than 488,000 times.
Kona was so grateful for the newest toy in her collection, Collyn said. After playing with it for several minutes, the dog placed the giant lamb toy in her bed and took a nap beside it.
Collyn said: “She loves both toys, but we can’t leave either of them out unattended because Mako, our other dog, will immediately destroy them. We let Kona bring big lambie to bed with her, and she sleeps with her. Our dogs are our babies, and seeing them get excited about little things like this makes us smile so much.
“She’s the sweetest, happiest little girl. She loves all of the attention she gets on social now. Whenever she sees the camera come out, she starts getting really excited because she knows the treats are coming,” Collyn added.
Since Kona’s reaction to the giant lamb surprise went viral on TikTok, the post has received over 86,000 likes and more than 645 comments in a matter of days.
One comment reads: “Love that she instantly took it to her bed. This is a sign my boy needs a lambchop!”
Another person wrote: “I just cried, this made me so happy.”
“Not me having the biggest smile when I saw her smile,” commented another TikTok user.
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.