My dogs are very attached to me and my family members, and vice versa. If we’re all out together and one of us goes out of their sight, my Pug mix will frantically search the area with his eyes and add a whine to show his concern while my senior Doxie just freezes until we return. A brief moment away must seem like a lifetime to our fur babies.

Maui the Golden Retriever had the same distressed expression on his face when he couldn’t locate his mom in the park, but that look completely changed at the sight of her.

In the TikTok from @maui.thegoldenpup, the precious pooch was running in an open field in a beautiful park. Though Maui was soaking up the warm sunshine and refreshing breeze, he was clearly trying to find something or someone and couldn’t fully enjoy the moment until he discovered it.

“The moment Maui went from searching me to seeing me,” the onscreen text explained, with the caption adding, “He was worried for a sec.”

Viewers didn’t have to see his mom to know the moment Maui spotted her. The canine’s look of concern transformed into pure, unbridled joy the second he saw his mom. Maui broke into a run like he couldn’t get to her fast enough. The unbreakable bond he felt with his mom was written all over his face.

Do Dogs Know How Long We’ve Been Gone?

Since we can’t bring our dogs with us all the time, our fur babies may feel a sense of abandonment when we head out to work or run errands. Though they seem sad whether we’re out of sight for a half hour or half a day, the amount of time actually makes a difference.

Related: Golden Retriever Puppy Tries to Stay Awake in the Car and It’s the Cutest

A previous study tracked dogs’ behavior before, during, and after being left alone for varying amounts of time and the results were quite interesting:

• Dogs behaved differently when their parents were gone for longer periods of time.

• After two hours, dogs showed increased excitement through increased tail wagging, vocalization, and face-licking upon return compared to just 30 minutes apart.

• Results leveled out after approximately two hours making it more difficult to discern whether dogs felt an even greater sense of time passing beyond that point.

Our dogs’ consistent and loving welcome every time we return to them is one of the best things about being a pet parent. Just ask Maui’s mom!

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This story was originally reported by Parade Pets on Nov 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.