Watch Senior Dog Reuniting With Childhood Best Friend After Almost 9 Years

Two dogs that first met as puppies have had a heartwarming reunion after almost nine years apart.

"You could see it in her face that she was happy and in disbelief it was her," owner Jess, 36, told Newsweek.

Ruby, an 11-year-old cocker spaniel, and Mia, an 11-year-old whippet and Italian greyhound cross, first met when they were very small. Ruby's owner Jess and Mia's owner Sarah quickly became pals at the local dog park, and the chance meeting was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between their pets.

"We met randomly on the park. Ruby and Mia were the same age—it turned out they were born a week apart from each other. They started playing, and that was it," Jess said. The dogs' friendship grew strong, and the two families frequently met up to play and bond.

However, as time went on, work schedules and other responsibilities began to pull the friends in different directions. Sometimes, they would go weeks without seeing each other, which turned into months, and eventually, they lost touch.

Despite the passage of time, though, Ruby still remembered her friend Mia—often looking out for her on walks.

"Ruby would still get excited every time she'd see a dog that looked like Mia, then be sad when she realized it wasn't her—even all these years on," said Jess.

Jess and Ruby are soon due to move from their home in Manchester, England, to Scotland, and this prompted the owner to make a promise to her canine companion. She vowed to find Mia before the big move, especially considering the age of both dogs.

Thanks to the power of social media, Jess managed to track down Sarah and Mia, and before long, the pair were planning a long-overdue reunion.

Two weeks later, the reunion took place. Ruby, who had faced a traumatic incident the previous year when she was attacked by four larger dogs, was usually cautious around other dogs. However, when she saw Mia, it was different. She instantly recognized her long-lost friend and ran toward her.

"She definitely recognized her," Jess said. "It took Mia a bit longer to realize it was Ruby, as Ruby had her anal glands removed in 2020 due to having aggressive cancer in them, so her scent won't have been as strong."

Emotions ran high as the owners watched the long-lost friends play. Jess even shared the moment on her TikTok page @xjessxjx, where it has been viewed thousands of times.

"This is so sweet," posted TikTok user Naomi, while ClarekennedyRVN wrote: "Beautiful. Love how her tail turns from wags to full on helicopter. They never forget."

Since their reunion, Ruby and Mia have met up twice more, rekindling their friendship as if no time had passed.

Human friends Jess and Sarah are also pleased to be reunited, and are determined to ensure that Ruby and Mia have every opportunity to enjoy their senior years together.

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