A viral video of a man and his dog watching the sun setting over the sea together has left viewers crying their “heart[s] out”.
The clip, posted on Thursday (29 September), has amassed more than 22 million views on TikTok, and has prompted users to describe the scene as representing the “beauty and love in humanity” that we often forget to “appreciate”.
TikTok creator @itserikaeileen, who describes herself as a confidence and sex coach for business owners, wrote in the caption that she “literally can’t stop crying [her] eyes out”.
“Do y’all want to see the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my f***ing life?” she says to camera as tears roll down her cheeks.
The camera then flips around to show a man and his dog, which appears to be a golden retriever, sat next to one another on a bench overlooking the sea at sunset.
As live music swells in background, the owner is seen putting his arm around the dog as they look out over the calm water.
“I say that I f***ing hate this world, but that was special,” Erika concluded.
The heartwarming video, which the TikToker said saw her gain 16,000 new followers “overnight”, delighted people.
“What a beautiful moment. A dog’s love is special,” one person wrote. Another added: “Thanks for sharing and making me cry.”
“Thank you for taking the time to capture something good. The world needs more of this,” someone else said.
“Why do I feel he just lost his wife/husband and his dog is all he has left,” one commenter suggested.
In a later video, Erika confirmed that she had been in touch with a student who claimed the man was her old music teacher.
The student then sent the videos and photographs to their old teacher. He was reportedly “super grateful and super happy” for the reception of the video, and appreciated “everyone enjoying the moment,.
Erika said that the dog is quite old and goes “everywhere” with her owner.
