By Alice GibbsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA Massachusetts dog owner didn’t expect her puppy’s first-day-of-daycare pickup to feel quite so emotional—but a heartwarming video has revealed the sweet moment the young golden retriever spotted his owner.
Hannah, 32, share the video of Flapjack, her 8-month-old pup whose expressive face at the daycare window has melted hearts.
When he spotted his owner, Flapjack pressed close to the glass as other dogs mill around behind him—including Hannah’s other golden retriever, Whaler, who is 2 years old and can be seen in the background.
“I expected he’d be happy to see me, but his reaction felt more like relief,” Hannah, who did not give a surname, told Newsweek. “Like ‘Thank goodness you came back for me!’”
"Seemed To Enjoy Daycare"
Despite Flapjack’s seemingly wounded expression, Hannah said he actually had a great time.
“He seemed to enjoy daycare very much because the next day on our walk, he was dragging me right back to the daycare to see his friends,” she said.
...Sending pets to daycare is an increasingly common part of pet ownership. The U.S. pet daycare market was worth more than $1.7 billion in 2024 and is estimated to grow by more than 8 percent before 2030, according to a report from Grand View Research.
For Hannah, who has the foot the bill for two dogs, some comfort may come from knowing her video resonated with pet owners and animal lovers alike. The clip has more than 280,000 views on Instagram where Flapjack’s reaction to seeing his owner has melted hearts.
“I’m not weeping I promise,” said one commenter. While another wrote: “Obsessed.”
Hannah said Flapjack’s dramatic greeting isn’t a one-off.
“I can’t say I was surprised because that’s actually how he greets me every time I come home,” she said. “I could be gone for literally 30 minutes to run to the store and will be met with the ‘how could you leave me’ face when I return.”
Hannah said she shared the clip online because it captured Flapjack perfectly—and she thought that other golden retriever owners may be able to relate.
“I posted it on Instagram because it perfectly captured his personality… such a sweet, affectionate boy,” she said. “I love that people connected with the moment and felt the joy and silliness of it.”
Flapjack is not the first golden to go viral for his daycare reaction. Like the owner who got pictures of her dog living her best life at daycare, or the golden retriever who came home from daycare exhausted.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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