What Golden Retriever Does for Hours Every Night at 5 P.M. Has Owner Crying

A video of a dog that started anticipating his owner's return home from work hours before he arrived has brought viewers to tears.

Like other dogs, Romeo the nearly 1-year-old golden retriever, quickly caught on to his owners' daily routine. They are both doctors, with Ryan typically working the day shift and Jenn on at night. Romeo picked up on their different schedules and the times they would come home. Around 6 months old, he started showing that he anticipated their return.

"When he first started doing it, I was confused because he always follows me around the house and stays near me," Jenn told Newsweek via email. "But then I noticed that no matter where we were in the house, around 5 p.m. he would suddenly start leaving me, which was unusual."

In a September 18 TikTok video posted to Romeo's account, @romeosrufflife, Jenn filmed the dog's daily routine as he prepared for Ryan to come home. At about 5 p.m., Romeo starts looking to the front door for his dad. When the door doesn't open, his head hangs low and he returns to the couch. But any noise makes him jump up with excitement.

The process repeats until finally Ryan walks through the door, which of course sends Romeo into a happy frenzy, jumping up, wagging his tail and grabbing his favorite toy. The text on the clip reveals that Jenn "cried at the end" after seeing Romeo's reaction.

Jenn said she's not sure why, but sometimes he'll run around and then pick up as many toys as he can with his mouth and bring them over to them. An article on the website Vet Explains Pets says dogs will pick up a toy or item to express their excitement as a way to self-soothe, release pent-up energy or communicate their happiness.

Screenshots from a TikTok video show a golden retriever waiting for his dad to come home from work. The dog will make trips to the front door every so often to check if he's home... @romeosrufflife/TikTok

While the clip shows Romeo giving Ryan all the love, Jenn said their dog usually does the same for her when she comes home after working a night shift.

"With our jobs as doctors, sometimes we have really tough or sad shifts at work, but there is nothing sweeter to come home to than Romeo excited to give us kisses and cuddles," she said.

The TikTok clip has amassed over 423,000 views, 27,600 likes and 739 comments as of Tuesday. Viewers joined Jenn with tears over Romeo's precious reaction to his dad coming home.

"What a way to come home," said one person, while a second added: "We so don't deserve dogs, but thank goodness we have them!"

Another wrote: "Omg sooo cute!!! coming home to my fur babies is the best!!! nothing like unconditional love from a 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.