Golden Retriever’s Adorable Reaction to Best Friend’s Name!

Quick Smiles:

• Nova the golden retriever’s delightful reaction to her best friend’s name has charmed TikTok users.
• Nova’s vibrant social life includes daily playdates with her canine friends at the park.
• Research suggests dogs can visualize objects when hearing specific words, explaining Nova’s adorable response.

A golden retriever named Nova has taken the internet by storm with her charming reaction to hearing her best friend’s name.

In a video clip shared on TikTok, Nova is seen enjoying a treat when the name “Stevie” is mentioned.

Instantly, the 8-month-old pup drops her snack, tilts her head, and seems to smile, as her owner Katie, 28, asks if Stevie, a Doberman, is her best friend.

Katie, who resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, shared that Nova’s social life is thriving.

“They see each other pretty much every day,” she said.

Nova and Stevie met at the local dog park, where they have a group of friends who gather daily for playtime.

“They have a whole group of friends there that meet every day to play! And they all know each other’s names.”

Katie also mentions another name, Honey, during the clip, prompting another adorable head tilt from Nova.

“They love going to the park to see their friends,” she added.

In the comments, Katie humorously noted: “She sees them more than I see my own friends.”

The American Kennel Club (AKC) emphasizes that puppy socialization and training classes can foster positive experiences, building a dog’s confidence and character.

Supporting this, research from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary found that dogs can associate words with specific objects.

“Dogs do not only react with a learned behavior to certain words,” explained Marianna Boros from the university.

“They activate a memory of an object when they hear its name.”

This might mean that Nova imagines Stevie when she hears his name, which could explain her joyous reaction.

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