Video captures raw emotions after woman drives 18 hours to reunite with her senior 'soul dog'

When you truly love someone, distance becomes a minor obstacle in life. The overwhelming joy of seeing your loved ones makes every mile traveled worthwhile. Jane Helffrich (@gingerhaaze on TikTok) experienced something similar when she reunited with her family dog. Notably, Helffrich, 27, lives in Ohio whereas her family dog, Reilly, a 15-year-old chihuahua stays with her parents in Florida. However, to surprise her "soul dog," Helffrich drove for 18 hours and captured the wholesome moment when she met Reilly.

When Helffrich reached home, she found her dog fast asleep on the couch. But the moment she sat beside Reilly, the dog lifted his nose to the air, perhaps sensing her presence. "He smells me," read the overlay text while the wholesome scene unfolded on the screen. When Reilly finally spotted his sister, he jumped onto her lap. With his tail continuously wagging, Reilly's priceless reaction conveyed how much he had been waiting for his sister. "I walked in and he was fast asleep so I figured I would record this moment," Helffrich wrote in the caption. 

Meanwhile, reacting to the video, @unhippy, a grieving pet parent commented, "I know you already do but PLEASE hold him tight, I lost my 15-year-old soul dog in January and it’s truly the worst pain I have ever dealt with. He is literally still in every single thought of mine." Similarly, @angelicabarron12, another dog owner who lost her puppy commented, "I drove 3 hours from university to visit my 16-year-old dachshund, Charlie, because something in my gut told me he wasn't going to make it by the end of the week. He passed that night and I always cry thinking about it." @animalcommunicatorkara wrote, "My 14-year-old and 16-year-old doggies salute yours! They can’t hear, but they can still see and they love to see us and get a snuggle. The 14-year-old still goes for two-hour long walks every day."

On the other hand, @bookdragon_1819 commented, "I came home from college to be with my parents and brother so we could all go with dad's 16-year-old lab to say goodbye at the vet and then a few years later did the same for mom's 15-year-old lab & now hubby went too." @beezzwaxx commented, "God! This makes me so happy and yet it brings up this feeling of mourning that I never got to have this moment with my sweet baby. He passed at 4. I truly wish everyone gets to see their pet grow old." @grakanelli reflected more on Reilly's reaction to meeting Helffrich and commented, "The way he instantly started searching for you as soon as he got a sniff, he was waiting for you." @rebelqueen91 wrote, "Oh my goodness! This made me happy and sad all at the same time. My girl is 8 and I know this will be her one day and I'm just not ready. I need her forever."

Interestingly, Helffrich owns 5 dogs including Reilly and each canine picked their favorite human. Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively, she revealed that her family got Reilly when he was 12. Helffrich shared, “As soon as he came home, he established himself as king of the household. He thinks he runs the house and everyone lives on his time. He loves attention. Now that he is older, he loves to sleep, be loved and bark at the cars that drive by the house.”

You can follow Jane Helffrich (@gingerhaaze) on TikTok for more dog-related content.