Young dogs can have a tough time remembering things as they grow – that’s why it takes so much effort to train them.

But when it comes to other creatures, their nose knows. It might take a few minutes, but a good sniff will usually give them some indication of whether or not they know someone.

Seiko the German Shepherd

When a German Shepherd named Seiko saw her human sister for the first time in a year, let’s just say she needed a few extra sniffs to be sure of what was going on.

According to her mom: “My daughter came home from deployment to Kuwait and our German Shepherd, who was still a growing pup when she left, was caught off guard for a moment…”

As the soldier walks in the door, Seiko runs in from a different room, first looking at mom with the camera before heading for the door.

She expects to be excited, but the dog pulls off to the side and stops dead in her tracks.

Who is this person?

Getting her bearings

Everyone is nice and calm while Seiko gets a chance to figure things out.

And while Seiko barks, she still looks unsure about whether she’s protesting or building up excitement.

Of course, we don’t know if it was a look or a scent, but it doesn’t take long for Seiko to remember her human sister. And when she does – well, she acts like any dog does when someone comes home after being away (whether for an hour or a year).

Mom continued in her video caption: “When Seiko realized it was her, she couldn’t contain her excitement!”

A warm welcome home

Of course, Seiko could just be excited that the newcomer was willing to pet her, but after a few scratches, she truly goes wild.

She jumps up and gives her sister lots of kisses on the face, pacing around her, and wondering how best to express her excitement and affection.

Some bum pats only make her turn around for more kisses.

And then she decides that she’s so excited she has to work some of it off, so Seiko runs into the other room.

Predictably, the German Shepherd heads over to her toy box and grabs a red ball that she brings in for some playtime. After all, if her sister is home, she wants to make sure she knows what’s expected of her!

“The most important tradition of dogs everywhere, the displaying of the toys,” joked a commenter.

Going viral

The video was uploaded in November of 2019 (which, to be fair, seems like a lifetime ago at this point). But since then it has managed to accumulate over 13.1 MILLION views! (Of course, people love their dog and soldier reunion videos!)

Over 8,000 of those viewers have commented on the video.

Even a dog trainer chimed in to explain what happened:

“As a professional dog trainer for over 20 years now I will tell you don’t feel bad! Your gorgeous German Shepherd did recognize you but dogs do not recognize [by sight] they recognized by smell and sound so as you can watch from the video, she is sniffing you out and then once she hears your voice, then she remembered you and then got super excited to welcome you home! Thank you so much for your service and all you do for our country!!!”

Be sure to scroll down below to see the sweet reunion for yourself.

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Source: YouTube – knox2613, Reddit – u/trillospin