Watch greyhound’s excited reaction to seeing ex-foster mom: “Bittersweet”

A greyhound’s delight over unexpectedly running into her former foster mom is melting hearts online.

Penny went to live with dog lover Zoe-Louise Doyle for six weeks in November 2021. At first, Penny was unsure of the 24-year-old zoology student, but by the end of her stay, Doyle had become her favorite human.

“She only ever wanted to be by my side,” Doyle, from Cork in Ireland, told Newsweek. “When Penny was adopted locally, I was delighted.”

The former racing dog, described as “playful, giddy,” loved nothing more than to curl up beside her foster mom for some ear scratches. However, growing up in a kennel meant that Penny had a few behavioral “quirks,” such as not understanding what windows are (and running into them).

“We had to put big X’s in tape on the kitchen windows to stop her,” Doyle said.

Penny also bonded with Robert, Doyle’s 7-year-old greyhound, who acted as a guide for the anxious rescue.

“She stuck to his hip like glue, but as she grew in confidence, she learned that the world outside of kennels isn’t as big and scary as it first seemed,” Doyle said.

Penny found a new home just in time for Christmas 2021, but letting go of the greyhound was “bittersweet” for Doyle and her roommate.

“You are so happy for them, but it’s hard letting go of a dog you’ve spent so much time and emotional energy on,” she said. “I didn’t hold out too much hope of seeing her at first, but with Penny being so close by, I did want to see her every now and again.”

Fortunately, her wish came true when they were reunited at a local greyhound meet-up on May 28. The adorable moment was captured on camera and shared to TikTok, where it received more than 10,000 views.

The cute clip shows Penny’s new mom walking her on a lead. The moment the greyhound spots Doyle, her tail begins to wag furiously, and she dashes to her former fosterer and Robert, who is waiting nearby.

She leaps into Doyle’s arms, with the student bending down to cuddle the excited pup.

“Fostering is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world,” she wrote alongside the post, which has been liked more than 1,000 times.

Doyle began fostering dogs four years ago, shortly after adopting Robert. She works with RIGHT, an Irish rescue team that specializes in rehoming former racing dogs.

“After seeing how hard it was on Robert to adjust to life outside of kennels, I had to offer up my home,” she said. “Those don’t know a thing about being a pet. They have missed a huge amount of normal everyday socialization, desensitization and training.”

Penny was adopted alongside another greyhound from RIGHT named Cedric, with the pair bonding almost immediately.

“She has a playmate and someone to finally boss around,” Doyle said. “She gets all the best of everything and her humans are so eager to do right by her.”

The reunion made TikTok users teary-eyed, with Kimmie commenting: “I’m literally crying.”

“This absolutely fantastic to see,” said bigsuzethegreyhound.

“Beautiful,” agreed Claire Barnett448.

“So much [excitement],” wrote Jessica.

While K fit commented: “They always remember.”

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