Woman Captures 13-Year-Old Rescue Dog's Reaction to Her Visiting Home

An elderly rescue dog could barely contain his excitement after spotting his owner's daughter returning home for a visit.

Oscar the shepherd chow mix has been part of Caroline's family ever since they adopted him from their local humane society as a six-month old puppy. "He was marked as previously abandoned," she told Newsweek. "When we first met him he had one ear up and one ear down and was wagging his tail at us."

Oscar was originally adopted to serve as best buddy to the family's other dogs. "He's had two best friends that he's outlived, Carmen and Dakota," Caroline said. "He loved pouncing and playing with them, and you'd often find him snuggled up next to them."

Much of his longevity can seemingly be put down to his happy and active lifestyle.

"His favorite things include going for walks, sunbathing, playing with his toys and eating lots of treats!" Caroline said. "He's a protector, and the most loving boy! In the summers he enjoys a quick dip in the pool after a big walk!"

But away from his dog pals, Oscar has always had a special place in his heart for Caroline and the feeling is definitely mutual. "He's my best friend," she said. "No matter how old he gets, I'll always be one of his girls!"

Proof of their unique bond can be found in a video Caroline posted to TikTok under the handle caroline_rownd. It captures Oscar's reaction upon realizing Caroline had returned home to see her folks, as she called out to him from a distance.

Sometimes that's all a dog needs to identify someone familiar to them. A 2022 study published in Animal Cognition found that dogs are capable of recognizing their owners based on their voice alone.

That was the conclusion of a study in which 28 dogs and their owners played hide-and-seek in a lab. The dogs involved were tasked with finding their owners. Each owner hid in one of two designated hiding places while a stranger hid in the other.

Researchers played the owner's voice from the place where they were hiding and the stranger's voice from the empty hiding space. The dogs were tasked with choosing where their human companions were hiding.

The test was completed multiple times using the owner's voice and 14 different strangers' voices. They found that the dogs tested were able to find their owner in 82 percent of cases. To make doubly sure it was based on voice alone and not the sense of smell, in the last two rounds the owner's voice was played from the positions where the stranger was hiding.

Oscar certainly recognized Caroline from her voice alone. "I was driving down the road while he was on a walk, he saw my car," she said. "I rolled my window down and said "hey bub!""

Oscar was overjoyed to see her and, despite his advancing years, quickly sprang to life. "He came up to my car and cried with delight, then tried to chase my car to the driveway," Caroline said. "It was too far away for him to run the whole way so he finished his walk and when he got close enough to the house he saw me standing there waiting for him and he ran to me!"

That happy reunion formed the basis of the clip Caroline posted to social media, which has been watched over 642,000 times. "I love him with my whole heart," she wrote alongside the clip.

The video evoked memories, both happy and sad, among viewers with fond memories of family dogs past and present. "We had our family dog for 17 1/2 years," one user wrote. "Dogs are just so good." A second commented: "crying over my little old man I miss him so much."

A third added: "Enjoy it! That feeling hits different when you get to your parents house and your childhood dog is no longer there," while a fourth wrote: "He is so cute and healthy. I love my old doggo she has been with me my whole life."

While the video sparked joy for many, it was nothing compared with the emotions Caroline felt upon seeing her old friend once again. "It fills me with joy to see him come to me with such energy," she said. "I know he's getting old, he has nerve damage and arthritis in his back legs, so seeing his energy and excitement to see me warms my heart."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.