Moment Dog Realizes Baby Bunnies Have Grown Up and Left Nest Breaks Hearts

A Bernese mountain dog who raised a litter of baby bunnies has melted hearts after her reaction to her adoptive babies leaving their nest went viral.

A post shared on TikTok on Sunday by the pet's owner, under the username @lilybearbernie, shows a clip of Lily bonding with the baby bunnies. It has received more than 3.3 million views. The little rabbits rest comfortably in their nest, looking unbothered by her presence, followed by a clip of her reaction when they grew up and left their nest for good.

The heartwarming video comes with a caption that reads: "Lily found baby bunnies! She checked on them every day. But then they grew up, and left the nest. But she still checked for them. Just in case..." It is followed by: "Lily got to watch some baby bunnies grow up, but was sad when they left their nest."

Dogs are social creatures that seek interaction with humans and non-humans alike, according to pet-wellness experts at Rover. They feel uncomfortable when they are alone, and even though they would rather socialize with other dogs, they will still form a bond with a non-canine in the right circumstances. Moreover, adopting another species into their pack is also a support mechanism. Rover experts compared it to human toddlers having a teddy bear as a major social support.

The video quickly gained popularity on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received more than 127,000 likes.

One user, rapunzel3697, commented: "Buy her a baby bunny buy her a baby bunny!" And Aaron Keaner wrote: "It's the checking the empty hole that broke me." KIMBERLY added: "The way my lab would have been running around w[ith] the bunnies thinking they're a toy."

Jaxxy2 wrote: "Was anyone else waiting to see the bunnies run back to her?" And Mary Toennis posted: "Such a sweet video, now please buy that puppers a bunny." Jessie added: "Same. My border collie sits at the hole/nest all the time."

Another user, doty733, commented: "It's so hard when friends move away! Poor doggy..." And Heff added: "My dog did the same. He wouldn't leave the backyard and I finally found why. He just laid by them."

Newsweek reached out to @lilybearbernie via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.

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