Dog Sees Another Dog At The Playground And Immediately Recognizes Him

Amazing ❤️

Every morning, a golden retriever named Arlo wakes up his mom and dad to take him to the dog park. But what started as a normal day recently became a surprise family reunion.

About six months ago, Arlo was at the park with his dad, Jordan, playing with one of his favorite balls when another golden entered the gates at the opposite end of the park. Even though the dogs were far apart, Arlo immediately spotted him and stopped what he was doing.

Arlo the golden retriever meets his brother
Gina Neonakis

Arlo has always loved playing with other golden retrievers, so his dad wasn’t surprised when Arlo sprinted over to greet his new friend.

But as Jordan watched the two dogs interact, he realized there was something different about it.

Dog reunites with brother at the park
Gina Neonakis

“Normally when a dog walks into the park, he’ll lay down and wait for the dog to come and approach him,” Gina Neonakis, Arlo’s mom, told The Dodo. “But when this golden retriever entered the gates, they just locked eyes onto each other and then just sprinted towards each other, and it was love at first sight. They started wrestling, chasing each other and playing.”

“He was the happiest he’d ever been in his life,” she added.

Gina Neonakis

Jordan wasn’t yet convinced that there was anything out of the ordinary going on, but he struck up a conversation with the dog’s owner to pass the time.

“I just thought, ‘Oh, they’re good friends,’” Jordan told The Dodo. “A lot of the time, Gina takes [Arlo] to the dog park while I’m at work, so I thought maybe they knew each other.”

Gina Neonakis

It took a while for the two dog parents to realize that something very special had happened. Arlo and his new friend, Baker, had the same birthday and were from the same place.

“They had been playing for 10 minutes before it started clicking that they were from the same litter,” Jordan said.

Gina Neonakis

Though they hadn't seen each other for nearly a year, it was clear that Arlo recognized his brother from the moment he laid eyes on him.

While Arlo's parents still keep in contact with Baker’s owners, they live far apart and their schedules haven't allowed for another playdate. But next time Baker’s parents are in town, the brothers will meet for another family reunion.

For now, Arlo seems pretty happy to spend his days playing ball at the dog park, sleeping, cuddling and, of course, playing with any other golden retrievers he happens to see.