A golden retriever was left heartbroken after discovering his favorite toy had been damaged beyond repair.
Christina Smart, 28, from Scotland took to social media to share footage showing how her dog McGinn has been "mourning" the loss of his most beloved stuffie, after accidentally leaving it outside in the freezing snow.
It's a reaction not entirely dissimilar to that of a human child after the loss of a prized toy. That's not necessarily a surprise though given that Smart considers McGinn to be "more like my child" than a dog.
"We just bought a house a year ago and I had always wanted a golden retriever dog as I grew up with one when I was young," Smart told Newsweek.
"My husband never wanted any dogs but as you know when married the wife is always right, so two weeks after buying the house I bought McGinn. He was adorable as a puppy and everyone loved him. Even my husband couldn't resist!"
She's not alone in treating McGinn more like a son than a dog. In 2022, a poll of 2,000 U.S. pet owners conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the brand Pet Honesty found that around one in four refer to their four-legged companion as their "child."
McGinn enjoys all the things you would expect a dog to.
"McGinn loves to jump in muddy puddles," Smart said. "He will find any puddle on a walk no matter what, so he wears an all-in-one suit for his walks now because he is so white it's a lot to shower him every day after a walk."
When he's not busy enjoying games of fetch, McGinn likes to cuddle up with one of his stuffed animals. That's where this latest problem began.
"McGinn likes to take his toys outside to play and we forgot to bring it in," Smart said. "It was one of his favorites. This is the second time he's lost it. I bought the same toy a year ago as his last one ended up ripping."
This time around McGinn was the one who discovered the stricken stuffie, digging it out of the snow and bringing it to Smart, in the hope, perhaps, that she would be able to revive it.
"He kept looking at me, sad and moaning," she said. "Now and then he kept trying to lick it to get better but because the leg snapped off and due to it being frozen I threw it away."
McGinn has been devastated ever since, as the video Smart posted to TikTok under the handle christina_smartxo, alongside the caption "my dog is currently grieving for his stuffie," shows. Despite his heartbreak at how things turned out, Smart was keen to reassure viewers that a replacement would be found.
"Don't worry he will be getting a new one soon," she said. "He loves his toys and stuffies and when I tell you he has over 100 toys I wouldn't be lying haha! That's because he doesn't break them. So he has ended up with a huge collection."
Smart will be keeping a close eye on things to ensure all stuffies remain indoors from now on though.
English (US) ·