Golden Retriever Melts Hearts as He Comforts His Sister Crying in Her Dream

A golden retriever named Finn has melted hearts online after a video of him comforting his sister, Xena, as she cries in her sleep went viral on social media.

The video was shared on TikTok in April by the pets' owner, under the username Goldengirl_xena. It shows Xena, also a golden retriever, sobbing in her sleep. Finn, who is laying right next to her, steps in to comfort her and make sure she is fine.

The heartwarming post comes with a caption that reads: "Finn was alert as soon as he noticed his sister crying in her dreams." It is followed by: "soulmates."

Humans have a "fairly regular emotional baseline," so dogs can intuit what's normal and what's not, according to Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey. Even though they can't respond to your emotional state in the same way you're expressing it, they know exactly "what default you react to," the hospital website adds. "In other words, their closeness, the nudging of their nose, their unwavering, deep gaze, and their overwhelming warmth make soothing your sadness a possibility," the Oakhurst website states.

Lucy, the pets' owner, told Newsweek: "My husband and I brought Xena home in 2016, and Finn a few years later. Xena is a 6-year-old golden retriever, and Finn a 3-year-old golden retriever.

"I started sharing their sibling relationship through social media and was able to develop strong relationships with the community," Lucy added. "Xena is known as the 'queen of the house,' and Finn is lovingly known as the annoying little brother that is obsessed with his big sister!

"Xena and Finn quickly developed a strong bond with one another and over the years have become inseparable. They do nearly everything together. We take them on vacation all the time and, even when we go out of town, they stick together. After a long day, Xena will take naps, and this is usually when she starts to whimper or 'cry' in her dreams," Lucy said.

"Finn is very alert and never far from his sister and, as soon as he hears her, he immediately gets up to check on her. He will usually give her a little lick on the nose to let her know she is safe and not alone. It is the sweetest thing ever and happens quite often.

"We live in Orlando, Florida, but love to travel with our dogs," Lucy added. "Some examples of places we have visited with them are Colorado and North Carolina. We spend the majority of our free time with our dogs, and we wouldn't want it any other way!"

Dr. Rebecca Greenstein is veterinary medical adviser for dog-sitting company Rover. She told Newsweek that dogs are highly evolved pack animals that most certainly pick up on the emotional states of others, be they canines or humans. Research shows that dogs can not only distinguish between happy and sad facial expressions in people, but also react in unique ways to both.

Greenstein said: "Dogs have evolved a sort of emotional intelligence that provided them an adaptive advantage when living as social animals in packs and, later, when domesticated by people. They are adept at reading verbal and nonverbal cues and responding to a range of emotions, which only ingratiates them to us more deeply.

"Dogs can express emotional support in a variety of ways. They will often be physically drawn towards their owners if they sense they are upset and will seek out physical touch by snuggling, licking, nuzzling, or lying beside their human," Greenstein added.

The video quickly gained popularity on social media, attracting animal lovers from across the platform. It has so far received over 160,000 views and 21,000 likes on TikTok.

One user, tel, commented: "He's like, 'it's okay, I'm here. It's just a nightmare." Chris Moore wrote: "Finn is the best brother ever." And user1781678358672 added: "SPECTACULAR SIGHT ADORABLE FURBABIES SO SWEET."

Jenny Bautista wrote: "aaawwww wat a nice sweet doggo love." And judynazario820 posted: "she's going to be ok love don't cry." Scott Sopher added: "Sweetest thing ever."

Another user, Richard Alford, commented: "We don't deserve dogs. What an angel." And Maria wrote: "Has to make sure sis is okay." AVoice4Hire posted: "why did this break me." And Cassie Campbell added: "These two are just the sweetest pair I've ever seen!"

Newsweek reached out to Goldengirl_xena via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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