Parents often take their children to the play park to help them burn off all that excess energy, but how many times have you seen a dog treated to that experience?
While taking her two children to a playground after school on April 18, Jennifer Lopez, 28, was amazed not to see other children around but a dog parent instead. Lopez, based in El Paso, Texas, might have thought the man was just strolling past the park with his dog, but to her amazement, he wandered into the playground and let his dog make the most of the empty slide.
As soon as the pup got the go-ahead, he'd sprint up the stairs and come flying down the slide over and over again until he was sufficiently tired out. Lopez couldn't take her eyes off the precious moment, telling Newsweek that witnessing such a simple joy showed her "the beauty in life."
The bond between a man and his dog is unlike anything else, and Lopez couldn't resist sharing footage of the precious moment on TikTok (@lopezzzjennifer). The clip has already melted plenty of hearts, and in just a matter of days, it's gained more than 2.3 million views and over 358,800 likes online.
Needless to say, the pup was having a great time on the playground, and Lopez had no doubts that he was "an extremely happy dog."
"I was sitting on a concrete bench looking at my kids play when the man started telling the puppy he could go up the slide. Then, the man would say 'down,' and the puppy ran down. Each time, the man would get really happy and give the dog a treat, and this would happen over and over again," she said.
"I don't know anything about this man, but I sure hope I can find him to tell him how much he impacted my life."
After losing her dad almost two years ago, Lopez has struggled with her mental health for some time, telling Newsweek that there are days when her life has "felt empty." Seeing this man's sheer joy and love for his dog completely changed her perspective.
"That day, I rang my husband and told him I felt the same, but that I was tired of feeling like this. I suggested taking the kids to the park, and it all started from there. When I saw this man, I took it as a sign from God to show me how beautiful life is," she said.
"As humans, we complain about simple things, yet this older man takes his puppy to the park and seems like the happiest man on Earth. Some of us have a hard time getting up to cook like I did that day, or a hard time loving one another, yet this man is the perfect example of who we need to become.
"If I got another chance, I would find this man because I need to thank him for having such a profound impact on me."
Lopez had never imagined her TikTok video would go viral, but she's been rendered speechless by the outpouring of love and positivity she's received online. The post has already amassed over 3,200 comments, leaving many people thanking her for sharing such a heartfelt moment, and others praising the unconditional love between the man and his dog.
One comment reads: "That dog means the world to that man."
Another person wrote: "I cant stop crying, this is so beautiful."
A TikTok user commented: "he world needs to see more moments like this to appreciate the simple joy of this man watching his dog play and giving him/her a treat."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that ... Read more
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