An apartment puppy who had never had his own backyard before has melted hearts with his adorable reaction to his new home—complete with plenty of grass to run around in.
Like many dogs with millennial owners, Dug the 8-month-old golden retriever is undoubtedly a pampered pooch. His owners, Alexa and Austin Parkey from Denton, Texas, will do anything to make sure he is living his best life, whether that means taking him on day trips or giving him cuddles on the couch.
Ever since welcoming Dug into the family, Alexa, 27, told Newsweek that the pet has been “the happiest and most-loving puppy.” However, it always felt like there was something missing from his life—outdoor space.
“We just felt bad because he did not have much room to play or run around in since we lived in a one-bedroom apartment,” Alexa said. “The only outside he experienced was a patch of grass on our balcony.”
@dayswithdug / TikTok
Once Dug was fully vaccinated, his owners would take him out for walks and visit their parents’ houses nearby, allowing him to run around their backyards. Seeing how happy the puppy was to roam around their gardens made Alexa and Austin, 28, realize just what they needed to do.
Alexa said: “I don’t think he minded not having his own outdoor space because he didn’t know any better, but we always felt so guilty when we would see him run in my parents’ backyard, which made us start our house search sooner than anticipated.”
When the couple finally found the perfect home, they were so excited to show it to their sweet Dug.
Alexa said she noticed how confused Dug seemed when they first walked into the house, but he certainly wasn’t put off for very long. He quickly adapted to the new environment and made himself feel at home with his own toys.
Dug’s reaction to his grassy new backyard was an adorable moment as he instantly got the zoomies and couldn’t stop smiling. Alexa captured a video of Dug seeing his new backyard for the first time and couldn’t resist sharing it on the dog’s dedicated TikTok account (@dayswithdug).
The precious clip has delighted internet users, leading to more than 152,700 views and over 17,700 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. The caption alongside the video adds that there is “no better feeling” than this.
Alexa has been blown away by the online response to the clip, and she has loved hearing from people who are just so happy for Dug.
“When we saw his reaction and saw him running in his own backyard for the first time, we realized everything we had worked for finally paid off. His reaction made it all worth it. We are so grateful to be able to give our puppy the life he deserves, and I could not have done it without my amazing husband,” Alexa said.
The couple have been in their new home for around two weeks and are almost completely unpacked. Of course, Dug was an incredibly adept supervisor throughout.
Since the video went viral on TikTok, social-media users can’t get enough of Dug’s sheer joy and happiness.
One comment on the post reads: “I bet he feels so free.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “This is the pure definition of happiness.”
A third person replied: “What a good boy, he deserves it.”
One commenter added: “Literally the best feeling watching them run around the empty house and backyard.”
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