Golden retrievers have a big reputation for big smiles and big feelings, but this golden retriever on YouTube has a reputation for being particularly “overly emotional.”

Good thing Grandma is always a surefire way to cheer him up!

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Wally, of Wally Meets World fame, was lying around one day, looking a bit bored and forlorn, when his mom said the magic words.

“Do you want to go to Grandma’s?”

Wally immediately perked up, stood and stretched his front legs. It was time to get in gear!

Wally wore his best blue-and-white handkerchief as he moodily climbed into the backseat of Mom and Dad’s car. He didn’t want his seatbelt, but he did want to head out for adventure. Compromises were made.

After a bit of hassling in the back seat, Wally lay down on his fluffy blanket and learned to enjoy the ride.

The experience was well worth it, because as soon as Wally walked into Grandma and Grandpa’s house, he was all smiles! He opened Easter gifts, played with toys, got lots of fun pets, and had a blast.

Wally was overly emotional again when it was time to go home, but the happy memories kept him chill the whole ride home.

Related: Can This Golden Retriever Be Gentle With an Egg? Let’s Find Out

How Many People Can a Dog Remember?

Dogs meet a lot of people while out on walks and playing in the park, or if their mom and dad are particularly social and have a big family, but how many people can a dog actually remember?

Turns out dogs can learn to recognize dozens of humans, sometimes even up to 100, and this is mostly done on factors such as scent, sounds and visual cues, associating these stimuli with positive or negative experiences.

Dogs may not have an “autobiographical” memory as humans do, writing a story in their minds about their life and times, but they do retain memories of people and activities for years and often their entire lives.

Dogs recognize their parents and the most frequent visitors the most, of course. These folks become registered as close pack members who are important to the dog’s well-being. Dogs can also likely recognize the scent of related family members as similar, so that association comes through.

Wally loves going to his grandma’s house, because he associates the smells and visuals of that home with love, caring and attention. That’s what grandmas are for!

Related: Golden Retriever Claims the Wind Blew Her Into the Pool, but Mom’s Not Buying It

This story was originally published by PawNation on Apr 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add PawNation as a Preferred Source by clicking here.