Dog Separated From the Cow Who Raised Him Tracked Her Down, and Their Reunion Is Going Viral

A dog named Ruki lost his mother as a tiny puppy, and two cows in his home stepped in to raise him. He bonded especially hard with one of them, and for about two years they were inseparable, eating and sleeping side by side. When the owner ran into financial trouble and sold the cow to another farm, Ruki stopped eating and started howling. Then he followed her scent to the new farm she’d been taken to, and when the buyer saw how upset he was, they agreed to bring the cow back.

A video of the reunion shows Ruki wagging his tail nonstop while the cow licks him, and the clip spread fast on Reddit. One commenter wrote,“I can see the joy in dog’s eyes.”The Daily Dot notes it couldn’t independently verify the events, the location, or the identities involved, and the comment thread quickly turned into a debate about the ethics of selling farm animals with close bonds.

Stories like this one hit because they make us ask bigger questions about how animals experience loss and friendship. Whether or not every detail checks out, that tail wag is doing a lot of talking.

Have you ever seen a pet bond with an unexpected animal friend? Tell us in the comments.