'Very emotional' Golden Retriever breaks hearts after owner goes out for evening

A dog’s personality and characteristics can vary significantly by breed, and one common behavioural issue many experience is separation anxiety. This usually occurs when the owner goes out, and the dog reacts with heightened excitement, clinginess, or restlessness once they come back.

Many animals don't like being left by themselves, and research from the RSPCA indicates that eight out of ten dogs struggle to manage time alone. Golden Retrievers are large dogs renowned for their friendly, gentle and loving temperament, and the owner of one named Wally took to TikTok to reveal how he responded to being left home alone.

There are occasions when dog parents have to leave their furry friends on their own, such as when heading to work.

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Jules Kutch, Wally's dog mum and a pet influencer from Massachusetts, US, popped out for the evening and returned home to discover a "very emotional" pooch.

In the TikTok footage, the Golden Retriever can be spotted snuggling her with his head positioned on her shoulder and wearing a very sad expression.

Jules revealed that Wally had been enjoying his dinner and hadn't realised she'd stepped out.

While she was out of the house, she monitored her camera and spotted the dog had ventured upstairs to investigate where she'd gone, though she noted he "never" typically goes upstairs.

During the entire video, Wally keeps his head lowered until Jules makes eye contact with him and asks whether he slept in his doggy bed.

After this, he finally smiles and perks up a little bit before resting his head down on his pet parent again.

Jules titled her TikTok video "coming home to my very emotional Golden Retriever after a night out," and in the caption of the post she wrote: "We left while he was eating so he didn't notice we were gone and went upstairs to look for us."

The clip, posted six days ago, has already racked up an impressive 1.1 million views, 154,500 likes and more than 900 comments. Countless dog lovers were touched by Wally's glum behaviour.

One said: "Omg why am I teary eyed?" Poor little guy." Another asked: "Am I the only one who cried?"

A third shared: "This hurt my heart." Someone else noted: "Oh my God, he was heartbroken."

Multiple viewers demanded Jules to "never" leave him alone again after becoming "emotional" by his reaction.

Others considered why Wally decided to go upstairs as another viewer commented: "You weren't downstairs so he started the search party in a logical location."

A second remarked: "Your scent is probably the strongest upstairs, especially in the bedroom. He most likely went upstairs to find you, and then stayed because he felt comforted by your scent."

PDSA, the UK's leading veterinary charity, advises against leaving your Golden Retriever on its own for too long if you can avoid it.

On its website, it states: "Remember, it's recommended that you never leave your dog alone for more than four hours as it can cause them to become stressed and anxious."