Every year, without fail, parents bring their kids to see Santa Claus, share their wish lists and snap a few photos—and now pet owners are joining in on the festivities.
Dog owner Emily, known on TikTok as @catmom214, decided to bring her golden retriever, Jolene, to meet Santa for the first time. She couldn’t contain her excitement to start this Christmas tradition with her dog. All went well; there was no crying or screaming dog as she sat next to Santa.
But when Emily received the professional pictures back, she was disappointed. Jolene wasn’t looking at the camera. Emily said in her December 13 clip that she was “bummed.” That is until she discovered why her dog wasn’t looking at the camera.
The dog didn’t care she was in the presence of a very busy and famous celebrity. Jolene still wanted to focus her attention on her owner, her whole world. Emily’s heart melted when she finally realized she was the reason Jolene didn’t look at the camera.
The caption reads: “I’m crying because what did I do to deserve this dog?”
“She’s the sweetest girl and was actually a long-term medical foster that I foster failed earlier this year,” Emily told Newsweek via TikTok. “She’s a golden retriever and naturally just loves everyone, but when I realized she was looking at me, it really struck me that we’ve built such a beautiful bond over the last year together. I’m so lucky to have her!”
Emily was only supposed to foster Jolene for about five days. She didn’t plan on adopting her, as she worried about Jolene’s energy and that she wouldn’t be able to keep fostering other dogs. But she took a leap of faith, and she and Jolene helped make a comforting home for all the fosters that come and go.
Viewer Reactions
TikTok users instantly fell in love with Jolene, bringing in over 256,500 views, 87,300 likes and 111 comments as of Wednesday.
“Now I’m crying. That’s adorable!” said one viewer.
Another added: “It’s the ‘I got all I need for Christmas’ look.”
A third commented: “She already has the best present.”
Emily wrote in the comment section: “When we were leaving he said, ‘Now THAT is a happy dog!”
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.
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