'Heartwarming': Old Dog Smiles at Owner Every Time He Wakes Up

Most dog owners know when their furry friend is happy to see them. Whether it's dancing with joy when you return home or hopping towards you as you pick them up from daycare, each pooch has its own unique way of saying: "I love you."

One Redditor that has no doubt he's his dog's favorite human. In a viral video shared to Reddit by user Thedudeabides157 (which you can view here), 18-year-old Bear the dog can be seen smiling at his owner as he wakes him up from a nap.

The post was captioned "My old boy smiles every time I wake him up. Going to be 18 in November, this is Bear." Shared to the r/Aww subreddit on April 8, it has already received more than 45,000 upvotes and 500 comments from people loving Bear's smile.

Scottonaharley said: "What a sweet old guy."

1981bby agreed, commenting: "What a love bug."

While pietradolce added: "He looks so happy it's heartwarming."

Bear's owner Steve told Newsweek that he's always been a heart-melter. Part-Border Collie, part-husky and part-chow, Bear really is one of a kind.

He said: "Bear is kind of a legend among my family and friends.

"He's always done that derpy smile for myself and my younger brother, never noticed it with anyone else though."

As much as dogs adore their owners (that's why they stare at us so much), humans are just as enamored with their furry friends. A recent study by PuppySpot found that three-quarters of American dog owners consider their dog to be a member of their family, and over two-thirds say their pup is their best friend.

Redditors loved Bear so much, that they created a subreddit dedicated entirely to him and asked Steve to upload more pictures and videos.

Rainsmakker said: "Create a Bear subreddit: r/goodboibear."

To which 7he7empes7 replied: "I created it!"

The subreddit currently has 110 members. The first thing Steve uploaded was a snap of a much-younger Bear napping under his desk.

Steve, who lives in Ohio, also owned Bear's mother, a collie-husky mix.

He explained: "I had his mother for 17 years. She just showed up on our porch one day and never left."

When he's not napping, Bear enjoys spending time outdoors.

Steve said: "Bear is a guru of naps at his age but I keep him outside with me all the time.

"He loves to run the property and keep an eye on everything, absolutely loves rides in my Jeep with the soft top off.

"He honestly is one of the craziest and most majestic dogs you could ever meet. We've had a good life together."