Hearts are breaking for a puppy crying after all his littermates went to their new homes, unaware that a family of his own was waiting.
A pet camera set up next to a puppy pen captured the moment a Cavapoo appeared forlorn after becoming the last of his littermates still waiting to leave, in a short video shared on the Instagram account @good.lookingdogs on February 20. The clip shows him on a swinging chair in the play area and letting out soft cries as he adjusts to the sudden quiet.
Because puppies spend their earliest weeks sleeping, playing and learning alongside their siblings, brief vocalizing during separation can be a normal part of the transition when littermates begin leaving for new homes, according to a study published in the journal Behaviour. The pup in the video was simply adjusting to a changing environment, not experiencing distress, breeder Brenda Green told Newsweek.
Green said he, like all the puppies in her neurological-stimulation program, remained in a safe, enriched space with toys, supervision and a structured routine monitored by a pet camera. While the cries broke people’s hearts, he left two days later to meet his forever family, which Green carefully chooses for each pup. After spending eight weeks raising them and getting attached, she said she wants to ensure they go to the perfect home.
“I completely understand why viewers connected emotionally to that moment—it was raw and real,” she said.
Green explained that the puppy had already had a busy morning before the camera captured the emotional clip. His sister had flown out earlier that day, so he rode with Green to the airport, and the two spent extra time together before going back home. Afterward, she placed him in his usual puppy pen to eat breakfast.
“I was watching him on my phone while eating cereal and accidentally dropped my phone into my bowl,” Green wrote in a comment on her video. “While I was cleaning it, the camera kept recording—and this sweet, emotional moment was captured.”
She said she normally would not record for that long, but decided to share the clip after realizing how honest the moment felt. The pup explored the play area, climbed into the swing and eventually soothed himself, an important part of preparing the puppies for life in their new homes.
Green later shared a follow-up video showing how the lonely Cavapoo quickly turned those tears into tail wags after finally meeting his new family. He has since settled in well with his owners and is “doing wonderful.”
Viewer Reactions
With over 805,000 views on Instagram as of Wednesday, people shared conflicting feelings about the pup’s cries. Some believed Green should have immediately comforted him, while others understood the transition to being a single pup in a household.
“Ohhh, poor little thing! It’s always a transition being the only puppy around. They will be so excited for their new family,” wrote one viewer.
“Aww, his company left. So sad, but I hope he has a wonderful family waiting for him,” another commenter said.
“Every puppy I bought home did this. I had to sleep with my hand in a crate with my boxer. He cried constantly, but he stopped and soon fell asleep without my hand,” a third commenter wrote.
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