Watch This Shy Basset Hound Come Home To Heartwarming Surprise At New Forever Home
What could be cuter than one basset hound? A pair of basset hound sisters who get reunited. In a TikTok video captioned "A week after we brought Ollie home, we went back and got her sister," Pretzel the basset hound arrives at her new home, and the shy doggo needs to be nudged through the door. Hesitantly, she starts to explore. Her head is so low to the ground that her ears drag along the floor, and she steps on them repeatedly. One viewer wrote, "The ears dragging on the ground just gets me." Another added, "So sweet! And I know this isn't the point of the video but omg the ears!!!"
@thetwinhaul A week after we brought Ollie home, we went back and got her sister. #bassethoundsoftiktok #bassethound #dogsoftiktok #sisters
It isn't until Pretzel encounters Ollie that she perks up. As the sisters sniff each other, their tails start wagging, suggesting that dog siblings recognize each other. Soon, they're happily running around the house together, tails madly wagging, showing that pets know when they're related. One person channeled Ollie's thoughts: "Heeeeyyyyyyyy! Good to see you again! Listen, don't be scared. These hoomans are nice. They feed ya all the time. Ya sleep, get this, IN THE BED with them!!! I know, right?!?! C'mon! Let's go chew something up!"
The TikTok video of their heartwarming reunion has been viewed over 2.7 million times and racked up more than 333,000 likes. "It's fine...I wanted to cry first thing on a Sunday morning," one viewer commented. Another wrote, "I'm not crying, you're crying."
Dogs adopted close together could develop littermate syndrome, but what is it?
Most of the comments on the TikTok video praised Ollie and Pretzel's sweet reunion, but some viewers also warned about the possibility of littermate syndrome developing. According to anecdotal evidence — there isn't specific scientific research to back it up — this syndrome occurs when two young dogs are brought into a household at the same time and, as a result, start to show distress, aggression, anxiety, codependence, or other negative behaviors.
"Just because it's called 'littermate' syndrome doesn't necessarily mean it's only between littermates. Any dogs that are raised together from a young age and are not properly socialized with OTHER dogs and people will most definitely develop littermate syndrome. It's just more commonly recorded between littermates since littermates are the most commonly put together from birth," one person commented on the video. Strategies for preventing littermate syndrome from happening — which are just good tips in general for how to take care of a puppy — include socializing and training the dogs properly and spending lots of one-on-one time with each animal, away from the sibling. Separate feeding and walking schedules can also help. Another recommendation is to wait at least six months after bringing home one puppy before adopting a second. After all, two puppies should add up to double the joy and fun, not double the grief.