A video of a puppy trying to protect her older sibling while the latter gets her nails trimmed has racked up over 3 million views on TikTok. The heartwarming scene becomes even sweeter when you learn why Oakley cares so much about five-year-old Freya.
Their owner, who prefers to stay anonymous, told Newsweek: “When Oakley was really little, we nearly lost Freya to pyometra. It was very touch and go. Oakley saw the whole thing; she went from playing with her big sister every day to having to be gentle and just lying close to her while she healed from surgery. Ever since then, Oakley has been particularly protective of Freya.”
In the September 1 video shared to @evaloushore, Freya can be seen lying calmly on the floor while being groomed—under the watchful eye of Oakley, who barks every time the clippers touch Freya’s paw. The following text appears on the screen with each bark: ‘No, stop, leave my sister alone. It’s okay, Freya, Oakley is here.’ The video gets even more adorable as Oakley lies next to Freya, placing her paw on her head, followed by a lick. The text layered over this adorable scene reads, ‘I’ll take care of you.’
Two screenshots show Oakley barking at her owner clipping her older sister’s nails, who can be seen lying on the floor on the right.
TikTok/@evaloushore
Speaking to Newsweek about the clip that has 286,400 likes, the pet owner said: “I’d never seen anything like it. The amount of empathy and love she showed at such a young age just made my heart explode.
“We always knew it was a special video, but we never imagined the kind of reach it would get. We’ve had some beautiful comments from people who were just as amazed by the act as I was. I’m so proud of my girls.”
While it may look like Oakley, a Labrador, isn’t a fan of nail trimmings, it turns out she is an “absolute star.” However, as a puppy, she had a fear of the nail trimmers.
Her owner said: “My daughter was the one that trained her to be calm and relaxed.”
At the time of writing, the video has over 4,200 comments, with some users reduced to tears.
“Why am I crying????” asked one user, while another said, “I’m tearing up. Their bond is beautiful.”
A third commenter wrote: “I watched it a billion times. They are the most precious creatures in this world.”
“For me, this video went from really really sweet me almost in tears. I love how she is protecting her sibling. That is the most precious thing ever. No one can say dogs don’t have feelings.. my heart,” said a fourth user.
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.
