A new mom has gone viral for capturing a sweet moment between her dog and her baby son.
Stephanie Saw, 32, lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, Raymond, 32, and the couple recently became parents to a baby boy, now 5 months old. Before their son arrived, the only child and complete center of attention in the house was their golden retriever, Jet.
"We have had Jet since he was a puppy. He just turned 2 on December 9, so he is still a puppy at heart," Saw told Newsweek.
While Jet has been great with the baby and adapting to the smells and sounds that comes with a newborn in the house, he can sometimes "get a bit jealous for attention here and there if we are playing," Saw said. "So we also play with him and make sure we give him affection."
Now a video of the baby and dog playing and bonding over a toy together has exploded in popularity, with over 1.3 million views since being shared to Saw's dog's TikTok account, @littlegoldenjet, on November 24. It shows dog and baby lying side by side on their stomachs, with Jet unable to take his eyes off a light-up crab toy.
The crab flashes and makes music, and each time it moves, Jet startles—and at one point he looks at his then-3-month-old brother as if to say: "Are you seeing this?" He then stands up and grabs a toy of his own, keeping it in his mouth as he watches the crab with interest—and the baby at this point can't stop looking at Jet.
Saw wrote across the video: "When your baby brother has a new toy and you don't," captioning it: "A bit jealous."
And TikTok users loved it, commenting on the clip in their hundreds, with one writing: "Not them both doing tummy time."
"I don't know about anyone else but I am jammin' to this crab," another joked of the musical toy, while a third added: "I bought this for my dog. I don't have kids!"
A fourth wrote: "Love the look back like 'you're not even paying attention to this!'"
Saw never expected her video to become quite so popular, and said she posted it at 4 a.m. after a night feed with her son, having taken multiple videos of her baby and dog watching the crab toy together.
"When I filmed it, they were both already watching and playing with the crab so I quickly grabbed my phone to capture the moment," Saw said, adding: "I just posted that one as I thought it was cute that Jet went and laid next to him."
Golden retrievers like Jet are known for their friendly and devoted nature, and being good with young children, making them a popular family pet, according to the American Kennel Club.
In 2023, the breed was named the third most popular in the United States, behind only the French bulldog and Labrador retriever.
Saw, a public servant in the State of Victoria, said Jet the golden is "very affectionate" with her son, showering him with kisses and affection of his own.
"Whenever the baby cries, Jet is the first to get up and grab one of his toys to try and cheer him up. He is a very sweet dog and very well behaved."
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.
English (US) ·