We never get enough time with our pets. It’s one of life’s harshest realities. When that day does finally come, it helps to have little tokens of their memory—a cherished toy, clay paw prints…and of course, photos. No pet parent is without countless images of their fur baby tucked away.
And when Shelby Parks, and her sister Savannah, were getting ready to say goodbye to their beloved Golden Retriever Boomer, Shelby knew exactly what to do with all those photos of Boomer living his best life.
In a viral TikTok video that has been viewed 4.5 million times, we see Shelby gifting her sister a photo album of their pup. Savannah instantly tears up in the clip, and lays her head on Boomer, who is resting on a dog bed by her side.
@parkspartyplanning The one thing I wanted for Christmas was for my sister to be able to open her Christmas gift with Boomer while he’s still here So grateful for the answered prayer 🤍 this is a moment I will never forget and the best gift I could ever ask for #doglover #doglovers #christmasgift #doggift #doggifts #goldenretriever ♬ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Frank Sinatra
“The one thing I wanted for Christmas was for my sister to be able to open her Christmas gift with Boomer while he’s still here,” Savannah’s caption read. “So grateful for the answered prayer. This is a moment I will never forget and the best gift I could ask for.
In a follow-up video, Shelby explained that the photo album consisted of images from Boomer’s Instagram account, which she began as a “COVID hobby.”
As the theme of his account was “celebrate everything,” images included showed Boomer enjoying both mainstream and random holidays, like Rubber Ducky Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day and Daisy Day.
As you can imagine, the photos are insanely adorable.
@parkspartyplanning Replying to @simplysummerlynn this is for everyone who was kind enough to ask to see the book I gifted my sister From when he was a puppy, Boomer has been putting a smile on everyones faces, and now I have a tiny piece bottled up in this memory book forever. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. It means more to me than you will ever know 🤍 #goldenretriever #boomertheretriever #doggifts #doglovers #dogloversoftiktok #christmasgift #doggifts ♬ original sound – Parks Party Planning
“If this book doesn’t show just how great of a dog Boomer is. We’ve had so much fun together. It’s literally been like having an American Girl doll as a dog,” she says in the clip. “He is one of the biggest blessings in my entire life and nine-and-a-half years is not nearly enough. But as you can see we’ve had the most amazing adventures together.”
Savannah shared with Good Morning America that Boomer was thankfully able to spend his final Christmas with his family before passing away two days later. And while the loss was heavy, having the community support has been immensely helpful.
“People relating to that pending pain was like, just such a great resource in the time and still now honestly,” said Savannah.
Shelby echoed that sentiment in a farewell Instagram post, writing, “there’s nothing on the internet quite like a family of dog lovers.”
Pet owners….never hesitate to snap that photo, give an extra cuddle, and tell your fur baby you love them. It’s never enough time, but those memories really do help keep their spirit alive forever.