Dog's reaction to a sad little girl has the internet awestruck

New York, New York - TikTok is in love with a dog that lifted the spirits of a little girl. The two became best buddies.

Marley, a golden retriever, made it his mission to comfort a little girl, and TIkTok is here for it!
Marley, a golden retriever, made it his mission to comfort a little girl, and TIkTok is here for it!  © Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/marleynyc/TikTok

Marley, a golden retriever, made it his mission to comfort a little girl who needed some cheering up.

The Golden is a medical-response dog who "thinks he's human," according to his TikTok account, and is trained to assist his owner Gary and get help if his human faints.

Marley's training has made him great at recognizing other people's emotions, as a now-viral TIkTok clip shows. The sweet video sees the golden retriever calmly sitting next to a little girl in the grass and letting her pet him.

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"Marley went to cheer up a little girl," his owner writes in the subtitles of the video. In the clip, Marley gently nudges the little girl with his paw, until she pets him. When she offers her hand, the pup places his paw in hers.

After a few seconds, it seems like Marley has gained this little human's trust, because she moves over to the golden and lays her head on his belly. Both the pooch and the human look pretty darn content, as they share some cuddles.

What effect do dogs have on our health?

It is scientifically proven that petting dogs has positive effects on health, as Marley and his owner Gary show.
It is scientifically proven that petting dogs has positive effects on health, as Marley and his owner Gary show.  © Collage: Screenshot/TikTok/marleynyc

In the video's captions, Marley's owner explained that the little girl was upset because "with family and friends over the house was busy." He added Marley "stayed with her until she felt better. They became instant best friends."

In the caption, Marley's owner Gary writes, "How do we deserve dogs."

Experts agree that animals are great for our mental and physical health. A recent study showed just five minutes of petting a dog, even if it isn't your own, can lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol and increase oxytocin levels, as NPR reported.

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Even if TikTokers aren't gushing about the science, they are in awe of this golden retriever's reaction. One commented on the clip, "That has melted my heart. They are angels in disguise, I’m sure of it." Still, other wrote in to declare that dogs are the "most perfect things on earth."

The cute video boasts over 863,000 views and more than 78,000 likes.

Cover photo: Screenshot/ TikTok/marleynyc

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