A year after her beloved pet dog passed away, a young woman got to hold him again — in plush form.
Gabriella from San Antonio, Texas was completely shocked when she unwrapped a present from her sister Emily on Christmas, finding a stuffed animal replica of her deceased pup Jax inside.
But the cuddly toy didn’t just look like her pet — it sounded like him, too, and played a recording of the 18-year-old with Jax taken before he died.
Sweet clip: In a heartwarming video, a woman named Gabriella opens up a Christmas present and immediately bursts into tears when she sees what it is
Cute: After Gabriella’s dog Jax passed away last year, her sister Emily gave her a stuffed animal replica of him from Build-A-Bear
‘Last year my sister’s dog passed away, so for Christmas we got her a Build-a-Bear of him. Now he’ll be with her forever,’ wrote her sister Emily while sharing the clip.
In the video, Gabriella can be seen tearing through puppy-print wrapping paper on Christmas.
Inside is a box from Build-a-Bear, which she opens to find not a bear but a plush pup inside.
She begins to get emotional before she even takes the toy out, prompting her sister to say off-camera, ‘Keep going you have to open up the whole thing.’
Gabriella shakes her head mouthing, ‘I can’t,’ to which her sister responds, ‘I know.’
RIP: Emily shared the video saying, ‘Last year my sisters dog passed away so for Christmas we got her a build a bear of him. Now he’ll be with her forever’ (Gabriella pictured with Jax)
Viral: The heartwarming video immediately went viral on Twitter with over 21,000 views and counting, as well as over 1,200 likes
Present: When Gabrielle press its paw, it plays a soundbite of Gabriella playing with Jax when he was a puppy
When she finally pulls the toy out, her face turns red and she begins crying, hugging him close. At her sister’s prompting, she squeezes the toy’s paw — and it starts playing a recording of Gabrielle and Jax taken when he was alive.
Gabriella was so thankful for her sister’s present that she posted photos of the stuffed animal online, writing: ‘Baby boy will now be with us forever, best present ever.’
Emily was emotional too, sharing, ‘I cried so much giving it to her.’
Once the video started trending on social media, there was an outpouring of support and people couldn’t stop gushing over the sentimental gift.
Thankful: ‘Baby boy will now be with us forever, best present ever,’ Gabriella tweeted
Siblings: Gabby had two dogs — Bell, a girl (left), and Jax, a boy (right), and when Jax passed, she wrote, ‘Rest easy my best boy’
Sweet: After Jax passed, Gabby said, ‘Thank you for being the best brother bell could ever ask for, you’re in my heart always and I’ll see you soon,’ (Bell pictured with the Jax toy)
‘Just the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,’ wrote one. Another added, ‘This made me cry.’
Emily bought the stuffed animal for Gabriella at Build-A-Bear Workshop. It came with a certificate that states that Jax, born October 7, 2016, belongs to Gabby.
Gabriella also has a female dog named Bell, and shared her heartbreak when Jax passed.
‘Rest easy my best boy,’ she wrote. ‘Thank you for being the best brother bell could ever ask for. You’re in my heart always and I’ll see you soon.’