A woman has shared the heartbreaking moment she realized her dog is getting old—and received a wave of support from pet owners who have been through the same thing.
Sophie Rindfleish, 29, is the proud owner of Jack Russell Terrier Harvard, or Harvey for short, as she explained to Newsweek: “He’s almost nine and I got him for my 21st birthday.”
Harvey is as loyal as ever, and is always there to collect her from the airport with her parents when Rindfleish, who now lives in Brisbane, visits her hometown of Melbourne.
“Whenever I come home to visit he comes along in the car to pick me up from the airport, and I always take a photo of him when I’m putting my suitcase in the [trunk],” Rindfleish explained.
And it was one of these photos that led Rindfleish and her loyal dog to go viral, as she compared the most recent snap to one of her oldest photos of Harvey collecting her from the airport.
In a video shared to her TikTok account @healthybodhealthymind on April 18, Rindfleish wrote: “Nothing prepares you for the sudden realization that your dog is getting old.”
A first photo, taken five or six years ago according to Rindfleish, shows a young Harvey standing on his hind legs and grinning at the camera from the back of the car, looking excited to see her.
And on the next slide is the most recent photo of Harvey greeting Rindfleish at the airport, now with gray flecks around his eyes and muzzle and looking a bit more tired—but just as excited to be reunited with his owner.
Dogs age at different rates, with large breeds such as Great Danes considered senior dogs at around six years old, but smaller breeds like the Chihuahua are not considered old until around 10.
Along with graying fur around the face, aging in dogs can be seen in various physical symptoms, including cloudy eyes, slowing down, gaining weakness in their back legs and a change in their weight, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
TikTok users resonated hugely with the video, awarding it close to 300,000 views and 60,000 likes, as one commenter wrote: “Someone once told me they get sugar face because we kissed the color away.”
Another agreed “he looks like the happiest boy. He’s gotten older with beautiful memories, cuddles and kisses along the way.”
“My dog is turning eight this year and nothing could have prepared me [for] him starting to show white hair around his eyes,” another said, as another pleaded: “Don’t I’m going to cry.”
One user admitted “this is my worst nightmare,” with Rindfleish replying: “If I think about it too much I cry.”
She told Newsweek that Harvey is “still very spritely despite looking so gray—he loves playing fetch.”
As for the massive response to her video, Rindfleish said that, to her, it makes sense.
As she put it: “I am someone who cries watching dog videos on the internet so I totally resonate with a lot of the comments people have left on the video.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The post Woman Takes Photo of Dog During Every Visit—Makes Heartbreaking Realization appeared first on Newsweek.
