Woman Shares How She's Ensuring Golden Retriever Is 'Always by Her Side'

Many pet owners wish they could keep their beloved companions with them at all times, and one woman has found a way to ensure her golden retriever is by her side forever.

As a nurse who travels as part of her job, Stephanie Dunn, from Canada, spends a lot of time on the road. She wanted a way to keep her retriever, Bear, close to her heart wherever she is, so four months ago, she came up with the idea of getting Bear's paw print tattooed on her leg. She told Newsweek that she "had his paw print ready until we found the perfect tattoo artist."

On July 12, Dunn and her husband finally got their dream tattoos done, and Bear's paw will be inked forever on their calves. She said: "My husband and I both got the paw tattoo on our calf, and a mountain tattoo on our forearm."

"It took an hour to do, and we are so happy with it now. Our tattoo artist made it so realistic and it's exactly what we wanted."

Once the tattoo healed, Dunn shared a clip revealing her latest body art on her TikTok account (@stephdunn722) and it has already been viewed more than 2.6 million times, and received 55,600 likes. She told Newsweek she already had seven tattoos.

A poll conducted by YouGov in 2022 highlighted just how much pets mean to their owners. The results showed that 58 percent of Americans who have a pet consider it to be part of the family.

A majority of dog owners, 51 percent, consider themselves to be their canine's parent, which shows just how much love is shared. For those who don't describe themselves as a pet parent, the other popular titles included their best friend, 33 percent, and friend, 24 percent.

Having a cat or a dog can help people in a number of ways, and results in the poll revealed that many owners find comfort from their four-legged friend. Among the participants, 77 percent said they get comfort from their pet, with 42 percent saying that they do so very often.

Bear, the 3-year-old golden retriever, is a regular feature on Dunn's TikTok account, as she regularly shares clips of his hilarious antics. Whether she's cooking in the kitchen, throwing a party with friends, enjoying a trip to the beach, or having the first dance on her wedding day, Bear will be involved in some way. So, as he's such a huge part of her life, it doesn't seem unusual for Dunn to have gotten his paw print tattooed on her leg.

Since posting the video of how she makes sure Bear is "always by [her] side," she has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction she's received online.

Dunn continued: "I was not expecting that video to blow up like it did and get such good and positive comments. We even got some people sending us videos of their dog's paw print tattoos, so cool."

Among the hundreds of comments on the post, one person wrote: "Love this! I want to do the same thing. We will always have them."

Another person wrote: "Mine is on the top of my right foot because that's where he'd always put it."

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.