It’s always hard when a dog passes away. After losing a beloved pet, you still think about them all the time, and it can be a lonely and sad experience.
But one man grieving his dog got an unexpected pick-me-up from another dog, who seemed to sense that he could use a little love.
Nato is a friendly, playful Rottweiler who likes to go on walks with his owner, Dan McPierson. He even has his own TikTok account, which shows his fun adventures and interactions with people.
@natomcpierson ♬ originalljud – Nato McPierson
But one of their recent interactions with a stranger has gone viral, after it turned out to be an unexpectedly sweet moment.
When Nato spotted an old man at the park, he couldn’t keep his eyes off him: “As soon as the man sat down, Nato locked eyes with him,” Dan told The Dodo. “Nato responded positively, but I could see the guy was sad.”
As if he could sense the old man’s sadness, the dog seemed determined to cheer him up.
As the two continued to lock eyes, smiling at each other, Dan asked the man if he would like to pet Nato, and after he agreed, the dog eagerly ran over to meet him.
The stranger started petting the dog, and it was clearly a special bonding moment for both of them.
Dan said he could tell that the man liked the dog, and the old man said he did, saying he was “so cosy.”
Dan found out later that getting to pet the dog was a special, bittersweet surprise for the old man: he had recently experienced the death of his own pet.
“This guy recently lost his dog,” Dan wrote on TikTok. “It made his day to pet my dog.”
“Suddenly, I remembered we had seen him before with that dog,” Dan told The Dodo, saying that the man told him that his dog was “just like Nato.”
“It gave him such a good feeling being able to pet Nato.”
@natomcpierson They looked at each other so long and smiled so I asked…
♬ originalljud – Nato McPierson
The heartwarming video of their interaction has now gone viral with over 2 million views on TikTok.
While it’s not uncommon for Nato to meet new people, this was certainly one of his most special interactions.
“It’s so normal for him to bond quickly with people that I’m used to it, but I still get surprised. Especially when people cry and tell me their stories,” Dan said. “We are blessed with this happening to us often.”
Everyone needs a little cheering up after losing a pet. It’s clear that somehow Nato knew that this man needed him.
What a beautiful interaction. We hope Nato and his new friend keep seeing each other at the park. Share this heartwarming story!
