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By Rachael O'Connor
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The internet's hearts have collectively melted over a video of a little girl growing up with a golden retriever as her best friend.
Danielle Vanos lives in Ontario, Canada, and is the proud owner of 5-year-old golden, Kobe, who has acted as a perfect big brother to Vanos' now 2-year-old daughter, who she refers to as "Baby Sis."
"Their bond has been really heartwarming to see grow over the last two years," Vanos told Newsweek. "We've been documenting their journey online since she was born."
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And millions have followed along to watch the duo grow up together, with their very first meeting racking up a whopping 27 million views on TikTok account @airbudkobe—and now the pair is going viral again.
In a video shared in September and viewed more than 1 million times, Kobe waits by the door as Baby Sis gets ready to leave for daycare in an adorable matching pink coat and shoes.
The 2-year-old gently pets the dog's head as she tells him goodbye, giving him a hug—but when Vanos asks if she wants to give him a kiss, she suddenly appears shy, and wants Kobe to kiss her instead.
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She asks: "Kobe, give me a kiss"—and after some prompting from her mother, and touching her face where she wants the dog to lick her, he turns and happily obliges, with Baby Sis grinning at the camera.
Vanos wrote over the video: "When your daughter wants a goodbye kiss from her pup but she's too shy to ask for it."
She added in the caption: "Her face when he finally kisses her! I love watching her say bye to him every morning!"
Vanos told Newsweek: "Both Baby Sis and I give Kobe a hug and kiss before we leave for daycare and work in the mornings, but she usually doesn't request a kiss back from Kobe—this was the first time!
"She's received tons of kisses from him since she was born, but she doesn't usually ask for them."
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TikTok users flocked to the comments to praise the interactions, one calling Kobe "a very well-behaved gentleman," and another joking: "Kobe looked like he wanted to give her a kiss but was scared to make the first move."
"Awww the dog was like finally I can give her smooches. What a good boy," another said, as one summed it up: "He understood that whole conversation and was just waiting for someone to figure out when it’s the right time. Sweet boy!"
Golden retrievers have long been a popular choice for families, thanks to their affectionate nature and getting along particularly well with young children, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). In 2024, the breed placed third in the AKC's annual list of the most popular dog breeds in America, behind the French bulldog and Labrador retriever.
"He's always been so gentle with her," Vanos told Newsweek.
"But sometimes he doesn't know his own size, so we did do lots of training and implemented safety measures such as leashes and baby gates for everyone's safety, especially in the first year."
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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