NEED TO KNOW
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Grace Dower’s golden retriever, Buzz, began limping after a backyard play session with the family dogs
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While recovering, Buzz’s grandma laid out three stuffed animals and let him pick one to cheer him up
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The touching video now has over 2.2 million views and sparked an outpouring of love from dog lovers online
A golden retriever named Buzz is captivating millions online after a heartwarming TikTok showed him carefully picking out a new stuffed animal following an injury. His gentle spirit, expressive face, and clear love for “stuffies” have quickly endeared Buzz to fans around the world, turning a quiet moment into a viral sensation.
The now-famous video, shared by Buzz’s owner, Grace Dower, begins with an overlay that reads: “My dog broke his paw, so my mom (his grandma) let him pick out a new stuffy to make him feel better.” The clip captures Buzz, paw still tender, quietly examining stuffed animals spread out in front of him before gently choosing his favorite.
“I almost didn’t post it,” Grace tells PEOPLE. “I thought, ‘This is just a cute moment.’ But it felt like something worth sharing.” More than two million views later, Grace is still wrapping her head around the response: “I never imagined something so simple would resonate like this.”
Grace adopted Buzz in 2022, during her junior year of college. From the moment she brought him home, she felt a deep bond. “He’s always been incredibly sweet and just… emotionally aware? He reads people and responds with so much love. He’s really part of my heartbeat.”
Now nearly 3 years old, Buzz is gentle, goofy and quietly affectionate. Rather than bark or jump up on visitors, he prefers to greet them with politeness — and a gift. “He always brings people one of his toys when they walk in the door,” Grace says with a laugh. “It’s like his way of saying, ‘Welcome, I’m glad you’re here.’ ”
As for the toys he brings? Buzz has a very specific taste: only the softest, plushest stuffed animals will do. “He’s never destroyed one. Never ripped them, never torn them apart,” Grace says. “He just likes to carry them around in his mouth. I buy them from the kids’ section because that’s what he loves.”
Grace lovingly calls them his “stuffies,” and Buzz treats them with gentle reverence. In fact, his beloved toys became the emotional center of the TikTok that made him famous.
The video was filmed over the Fourth of July weekend at Grace’s parents’ home in New York. Buzz had been recovering from an injured paw after a rough-and-tumble play session in the backyard with the family’s other dogs, whom Grace affectionately calls Buzz’s “cousins.”
“He was just limping all of a sudden,” Grace recalls. “We don’t know exactly what happened, maybe he just stepped wrong or ran too hard. But he wouldn’t put weight on it.”
Concerned, Grace took him to the vet, who recommended rest, anti-inflammatory medication and close monitoring. “He got steroids and pain meds. I eventually stopped the pain meds just to see how much he was favoring the paw organically,” she says. “Thankfully, he started doing zoomies again recently, which was such a good sign.”
While he was healing and feeling less like himself, Grace’s mom decided to bring a little joy back into Buzz’s day.
“She noticed we had some stuffed animals left over from a party and said, ‘Let’s let him pick one out before he goes back to Columbus with you,’ ” Grace remembers. “She was like, ‘Wait, you have to film this!’ ”
What came next was a quiet, spontaneous moment: Buzz scanning the options, then gently selecting the toy he wanted to bring home. Grace didn’t anticipate it becoming her most shared post yet or that it would spark such an emotional reaction in viewers.
“I didn’t expect people to feel so connected to it, but I think it just shows how deeply people love their dogs or wish all dogs were treated with that same tenderness,” she says. “I also had people commenting about their own pets they’ve lost, or pets that reminded them of Buzz. It was really beautiful.”
For Grace, the outpouring of warmth and support felt genuine. “I was a little nervous to share it. You know the internet… people can be mean. But 99.9% of the comments were just so kind, wishing Buzz a good recovery and sharing their own stories.”
Turns out, Buzz’s story tapped into something universal: the comfort, emotional intelligence and pure goodness dogs bring into our lives. “They’re just the sweetest creatures,” Grace says. “People get so emotional about dogs, and they should. They really are family.”
It’s a sentiment that clearly runs deep in Grace’s own family. Her parents have embraced their role as dog “grandparents” wholeheartedly. “They’ve been great. This summer, while I was traveling, Buzz stayed with them and basically had a month-long doggy vacation,” she says.
“He swam almost every day, then dried off, napping on the daybed,” Grace shares. “It’s like a summer camp for dogs over there.”
Her mom’s special bond with Buzz is also no surprise to Grace. “She just has love to give. She gives so much of herself to people and animals. Her connection with him is really special.”
The attention Buzz has received from fans online has even inspired thoughtful next steps. Some commenters asked where they could send Buzz new stuffies, but Grace has other hopes.
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“My wish is that people support their local animal shelters,” she says. “I’ve donated Buzz’s extra toys and food before, and I hope this can inspire others to do the same.”
In the end, Buzz’s story isn’t really about going viral. It’s not even about his new toy. It’s about love and about the quiet ways we care for the animals who give us so much every day.
“He’s my best friend,” Grace says simply. “He’s the gentlest old soul. I’m just glad people have gotten a glimpse of who he really is.”
Read the original article on People
The post Injured Golden Retriever Goes Viral After His Grandma Offers Him the Sweetest Recovery Gift (Exclusive) appeared first on People.
