Golden retriever loves the UPS man – but then comes heartbreak: "We didn't know this was goodbye"
Yorba Linda, California - "We didn't know this was goodbye," says a touching TikTok video that went viral earlier this week, showing the special friendship between UPS driver Ed and golden retriever Abbey. What no one knew at the time, except Ed, was that it was his last day before retirement.
In the video, the dog waits patiently on her property. When the UPS van finally pulls up, she knows there's no stopping her: she runs to Ed with a soft toy in her mouth.
Thanks to the open passenger door, she can climb right up to her favorite human, who happily greets and pets her.
In the end, however, Abbey's heart breaks along with so many others as she is left alone, sitting sadly by the window.
Ed will never come back.
Of course, this ending also affects the audience on TikTok. Nearly two million clicks have been collected so far, plus more than 220,000 likes.
Fortunately, there's a very special person among the viewers who has steered the story in a new direction!
Dog reunites with her newly retired UPS friend!
Ed himself caught wind of the viral hit, so in a comment next to the video, he took a direct stance.
"Just amazing.. I miss her, and all my furry customers. I will see you soon Abby. My son just showed me this tonight. It has been a blast 35 yrs, 4 weeks and 4 days @ UPS, it really has been a great gig," he writes. "Thank you all for the kind words, Ed."
But this week, his words have already been followed by tangible action: Ed has now visited his special fur friend – for the first time as a pensioner.
"Ed, what can we say, you're just the best! Thank you so much for taking the time to come visit Abbey - her heart is full and so is ours!" the pup's owner gushed.
"You've brought so much love with all of your deliveries and your furry friends will never forget you. Like you've always said…this is what I do!"
There's also a new video of the touching reunion and a promise: "This is not goodbye, just see you soon!!"
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@abbeysgoldenlife