Following an initially shaky start to their friendship, a puppy has melted hearts online with his adorable gesture to help his canine brother whenever he’s sleeping.
When dog owner Morgan Morales from Texas rescued a puppy named Sunny in September 2024, her resident dog, Ozzy, wasn’t too pleased about it. At the time, Sunny was just 4 months old, having been found with his siblings, malnourished and covered in ticks.
He was only supposed to be a foster, but Morales told Newsweek that she was “no match for emotions” and he turned out to be a foster fail. While Sunny instantly warmed to Ozzy, that eagerness wasn’t reciprocated. Ozzy was standoffish, didn’t like to play, and refused to let Sunny lay near him.
“He liked his space from the puppy,” Morales said. “Ozzy has lived with two other dogs that were small before, but they were older, so this was his first puppy. Sunny did not give up, he was constantly trying to play and cuddle.”
However, their friendship has certainly evolved over time and Sunny appears to have carved out a very special role for himself. Morales showed this in a video on TikTok (@moramorg) as she highlighted how unfriendly they used to be until earlier this year.
During the clip, footage shows Ozzy and “the puppy he didn’t want around,” before showing just how much that’s changed. Now, Sunny has taken it upon himself to watch out for Ozzy’s “bad dreams” and wake him up whenever he’s having a nightmare.
The video shows Sunny going up to Ozzy and gently licking him to wake him up whenever he seems distressed.
It took a few months for them to reach that point, but Morales couldn’t be happier to see how close they are now. She sees it as “a little gift” of Sunny’s to know when his brother is having a bad dream.
Morales continued: “Within those first four months, Ozzy would have his dreams as he was finally deep sleeping around the puppy, and Sunny would immediately jump up and lick his face gently to wake him. Once he saw Ozzy was up, he would walk away.
“I hated seeing Ozzy have what seemed like bad dreams, but also heard you shouldn’t wake a dreaming dog. But Sunny came in and would gently wake him up and I only assumed since they’re both dogs, they have a better understanding of each other.”
It doesn’t happen every time Ozzy sleeps—only if Sunny thinks the dream is “getting too intense” or notices that a change in his brother’s breathing. He may only be a year old, but Sunny has mastered the role of protector, both for Morales and 8-year-old Ozzy.
Sunny’s heartwarming gesture has delighted TikTok users as the video has since gone viral. At the time of writing, the TikTok clip has generated over 388,200 views and more than 51,100 likes in just a matter of days.
Morales explained to Newsweek that Ozzy is her soul dog as he helped her through some difficult challenges, and now she believes that Sunny came as Ozzy’s soul dog. She never imagined that he could be “so in tune” with Ozzy’s emotions, especially given how non-existant their friendship once was.
Now, Morales jokes that they are “true enemies to lovers” and there’s no denying how much they love each other’s company.
It is possible for dogs to experience dreams, nightmares, and even night terrors, according to the website PetMD. If a dog is twitching or making noises while they’re asleep, they’re likely to be in a restful dream that could be good or bad. But rather than waking them, owners should foster a safe and stress-free environment.
It’s thought that nightmares may be more common for dogs who were abused, abandoned, or have experienced trauma. They can also occur during times of stress, such as moving or a trip to the vet.
Night terrors might lead to thrashing limbs, growling, or biting. In those instances, PetMD suggests that owners should not attempt to wake them as it could lead to injury.
The adorable video of Sunny helping Ozzy has amassed over 380 comments on TikTok so far, as internet users lauded their precious bond.
One comment reads: “that’s his DREAMCATCHER.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “Rescues are literally the best kind of dogs you could have.”
Another person added: “you can just tell that he’s the sweetest soul.”
While another commenter replied: “That’s true love right there.”
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The post Hearts Melt as Dog Doesn’t Like Rescue Puppy, Then Everything Changes appeared first on Newsweek.
