Dogs are the most loyal pets you can have. Once they’re part of your life, they’ll love you forever—no matter how far or how long you’re apart.
It’s always beautiful watching people reunite with their dogs, especially people who have been away from home for military service. For one young woman, there was no greater feeling in the world than coming home to see her old dog again—and they’re reunion was truly beautiful.
In 2015, 21-year-old Army private Hannah Foraker left her home in Ohio to attend 10 weeks of basic training. It was the first time she had really been away.
“I have never been away from home before, so this was a huge deal for me,” she told Today. “It’s truly a character building experience and makes you appreciate the little things in life.”
While it was an exciting step in her life and career, it wasn’t without sadness: for one, it meant having to be apart from her beloved old dog, Buddy.
Buddy was a 13-year-old golden retriever. The two had grown up together.
“She’s very old and has arthritis and is mostly deaf,” Hannah told Buzzfeed. “But I still remember getting her as a puppy.”
“It pulled at my heartstrings, to say goodbye, though having never actually left home before I didn’t realize the importance of giving proper goodbyes,” she told Today.
But after three months apart, Hannah returned home for the holidays… and no one was more excited to see her than her old dog.
“We opened the front door and she came running out and greeted me and my family, but then kind of did a double take and came back to me,” she told Buzzfeed.
“She was completely overwhelmed and she couldn’t even stand up.”
Buddy was so overwhelmed with joy that she collapsed in Hannah’s lap, just wanting to be close with his old friend.
“She just collapsed in pure happiness,” Hannah told Today. “She just wanted me to hug her and reaffirm that I was actually there.”
Watch the heartwarming reunion: