A 94-year-old spoiled her neighbor’s dog with treats — she left, but he waits at the same spot every morning

A woman watched as the narrative of 2009’s Hachi: A Dog’s Tale unraveled in her backyard. Her 94-year-old neighbor spoiled her pet dog with treats every day until the day she passed. Abigail Morrow (@abigail_morrow) filmed the endearing moments when her pet and neighbor spent some time together, enjoying treats and hugs from across the fence. But one day her neighbor was gone, while the dog kept waiting in hopes of her return. The heartbreaking instant was shared by the owner on TikTok, where it garnered a whopping 35.9 million views. People were deeply affected by the 32-second clip and penned their earnest reactions to the tear-jerker of a video. 

“Every morning, our 94-year-old neighbor would bring treats out to our dog,” Morrow wrote in an overlay text. She compiled a few clips of her old neighbor feeding treats and smothering her pet dog with love and affection. Then came the dreaded moment of the old neighbor’s absence. “Honey still waits for her every morning since she’s been gone,” an overlay note hinted. Unable to understand death, the dog kept waiting for her from over the fence and occasionally barked to call her, but in vain. Meanwhile, Morrow wrote in the caption that her “sweetest” neighbor was in “heaven” now. The post was liked by 9.4 million people, while the comments were filled with raw emotions of viewers. 

“I just know honey made her days. I wish they got to say goodbye to each other,” marked @neelyak24. One person (@susreid82) claimed to be the old neighbor’s granddaughter and wrote, “Thank you for capturing this. I am now crying, but my grandma loved your fur baby so much.” A third viewer (@kirstyanne22) suggested taking her pet dog to the neighbor’s grave to bid farewell. However, some people were affected and heartbroken by the moment. “This ruined my life,” said @iinkedbysage, and @chrisoloughlin0 reacted, “You know what, it’s my own fault for having a phone.” Dogs are easily attached to people who show them kindness and offer treats. This deep bond that sprouts between humans and pet dogs resembles that of a parent-child relationship and is equally shattering when either is gone forever, per a study published in the journal PubMed Central. The heartache and discomfort of their absence are often felt even from a third-person perspective, thus encouraging the deluge of reactions from millions of viewers. 

Dogs and humans typically develop attachment bonds, which are explained as a close, emotional relationship between two individuals. Proximity seeking is one indicative behavior of this bond, where the animal will seek out the attachment figure as a means of coping with stress. Likewise, their absence can trigger behaviors related to separation and distress, per the study. “For dogs, humans seem to represent a social partner that, in addition to providing information pertinent to food acquisition, can be a source of emotional fulfilment and attachment,” the study added. Similarly, humans experience several psychological and emotional benefits upon interaction with dogs. 

You can follow @abigail_morrow for more such videos.