Moment Litter of 3-Week-Old Golden Retriever Pups Howl for the First Time

The owner of seven adorable newborn golden retriever puppies was shocked when they all began howling in unison. Retrievers aren't known to be the most vocal of breeds, but when Mae, from the Philippines, tried to distract her dog's litter of puppies by howling, they all howled right back at her. Mother dog Jessie gave birth to the seven pups in July, with Mae describing her to Newsweek as "the absolute best Mama," constantly checking in and caring for her babies. More From Newsweek Vault: The Top Rewards Credit Cards for Pet Owners Mae is protective of Jessie and the pups—when Jessie's milk dried up not long after giving birth, her family hand-fed the canines around the clock. Then, when the pups were three weeks old and "crying non-stop since they wanted to go out of their whelping box to play," Mae tried to distract them and stop their crying—so she howled. And as a video to her TikTok account @jessithegoldie shows, all seven puppies howled right back.

In the clip, uploaded a week ago and which already has over 300,000 likes, Mae gives out a little howl, and all the puppies stop—before immediately letting out tiny, high-pitched howls of their own. More From Newsweek Vault: Compare Top Pet Insurance Plans For Dogs The baffled mother Jessie then comes into the frame to check what they're doing. Mae said: "I was so surprised that they started howling because goldens aren't known to be howlers. In fact, Jessie has never even howled! "I tried to do it again a few more times and they would howl after me every time." TikTok users fell head-over-heels for the howling puppies, who Mae described in a caption as "golden nuggets might just be part Husky." More From Newsweek Vault: Affordable Pet Insurance Plans One user called them "small sirens," while another joked it was a "chain reaction," and a third said Mae had "triggered the alarm." "Ah yes the golden nugget council has SPOKEN," a fourth user wrote.

Golden retrievers are hugely popular family pets, known for their intelligence, obedience, and general love of life, as described by the American Kennel Club. They are not noted to be particularly vocal and don't appear in Purina's list of the most vocal dog breeds, which lists 77 different breeds. A veterinarian initially thought Jessie was due to give birth to three or four puppies, and her owners were shocked when she had seven. She was still an attentive mother even when her milk stopped coming in, and "would always help clean up the puppies afterward," Mae said. But seven puppies are, naturally, a handful, and Mae told Newsweek, they quickly "outgrew" the howling—"fortunately for us." "We were a bit worried that it would be something that they would always do, but that hasn't been the case," she said. "Now at four weeks old, they don't howl—they bark and growl." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.