This is not the first dog/soldier reunion video I’ve seen. It may not even be the best one (though they are all wonderful in their way). But it is probably the most perfect one.
Anyone who has loved a dog will appreciate –and recognize– the myriad emotions (ranging from happy to ecstatic) that are all playing out simultaneously.
The dog is obviously surprised, then delighted, then happy, then ecstatic, then confused, then giddy, then remembers he has his ball in his mouth and he’d love to let his guard down but business is business….and the sounds that ensue are the glorious gamut of canine communication: barks and yelps suppressed by the toy he is still munching on, and a paralysis of sorts: he is unable to jump up because he is still confused/excited, and he can’t bark properly because of the ball, he is crying from pleasure (when a dog actually cries from joy it is one of the more pure distillations of emotion any creature is capable of conveying), and he is looking/dashing around as if to say to the others: “Do you see who is home? Can you believe it?”
The noises (funny, touching, genius) this dog makes are some of the best noises I’ve heard in a long time.
The fact that the soldier is home safe is pretty awesome too.
