Senior labrador choosing the toy to take on vacation pleases the internet

An older Labrador choosing which cuddly toy to take on vacation has hearts melting online.

In a video posted to TikTok by user @staceymichellebra on Sunday, Marley the Labrador slowly walks to his toy box. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he selects his bear and carries it away with him.

TikTok users loved the footage, describing Marley and his teddy friend as “adorable,” and the clip has garnered more than 5,000 likes and 104,000 views.

A study published in the journal in June 2022 Animal cognition found that dogs use multiple senses to find their favorite toys, giving them an advantage when hiding.

Previous studies have shown that dogs use a combination of sight and smell to find objects, but scientists at Eötvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, discovered that “gift word creators,” or GWLs, can also understand the names of objects. They can not only recognize objects they have already encountered, but also distinguish them from similar objects by means of verbal labels.

Researchers found that dogs mentally ‘record’ the features of an object in a manner similar to humans, creating a ‘multisensory image’. For example, they can use the smell to find their favorite toy in the dark, or blind dogs can find the ball while fetching. In the case of GWLs, they can also remember the object just by name, giving them an advantage.

‘Good boy’

In the clip, Marley’s owner Stacey asks him, “Which teddy bear would you like to take on vacation?

“Go and pick a teddy bear from your toy box. You can have one.”

Then Marley wanders to his toy box and after a moment’s thought and sniffing at his toys, he reaches for his teddy bear.

“You take your bear. Come on,” says Stacey. “Are you sure now that you really want this?” she asks as he carries his teddy away in his mouth.

TikTok users couldn’t get enough of Marley and his bear, with Donna Sewards calling the clip “gorgeous.”

“Oh bless him,” user 9310218541760 wrote. “This is so lovely,” while Mrsminmin commented, “What a good boy he is.”

“That was adorable, love him,” wrote Debra Atkinson603.

Other pet owners found the scene relatable and compared their own dogs to Marley.

“I’m so glad I’m not the only one whose golden lab had a giant toy box,” Jo Webster commented, while Tracy Ruth Miller wrote, “Buster is going on vacation soon, it’s going to be a bunny for him.” “

TikToker Karkar commented, “My lab is the same! Don’t come on the sofa until she has one with her!”

Marley isn’t the only dog ​​who takes his toys on vacation. In early 2022, a collie named Baxter delighted TikTok users by taking his favorite toy on a trip to “grandma’s,” while a dog named Bennett was dubbed “the cutest dog ever” for making sure all of his toys were safe have food and water.

news week @staceymichellebra asked for a comment.