Chelsea Stipe and her husband have a senior Gᴏʟᴅᴇɴ Rᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ named Charlie. He’s 11 years old and due to ɢʟᴀᴜᴄᴏᴍᴀ, both of his eyes were recently ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ. It definitely affected how Charlie went through his daily life, as he gets ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ and uninterested easily. In the hopes of making Charlie happy and lively again, Stipe had the idea of adding a new dog to their family.

They got a new Gᴏʟᴅᴇɴ Rᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ puppy named Maverick, and he instantly got along well with his new, elderly friend Charlie. Charlie was doing fine. The North Cᴀʀᴏʟɪɴᴀ couple brought Maverick home in January, and though the two didn’t initially get along, they’ve since become close buds — with Charlie relying on the puppy for nearly everything, from walking, playing, eating, and even using him as a pillow! The two dogs became best friends and began to spend all day playing and cuddling together.

Chelsea said: “They’re both pretty ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ and special. They’re definitely our entertainment.When Maverick and Charlie play, it’s definitely great to watch because Charlie turns into such a puppy. It’s sweet to see them get along and enjoy each other.” As the dogs began to get comfortable with each other, the owners said that Maverick began to pick up on Charlie’s patterns and routines. Chelsea added: “When they would play, Maverick would realize that Charlie would lose the toy sometimes, so [Maverick] would pick it up and put it back in front of him to re-engage playtime.”

Maverick is a smart puppy, and was able to sense that Charlie needed help and guidance when exploring places and doing some activities. His energy lifted up the senior dog’s spirit, and even though Charlie is way past his younger and healthier years, the presence of the young pup definitely gave him a new perspective on life, taking him back to his playful, energetic, and lively self again.

Since introducing Maverick into their home, the Stipes have created an Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ account to document the pups’ new life at home together. In the first post that introduced the pups, Chelsea and Adam joked that: “Maverick is here to help Charlie around and Charlie is trying to teach Maverick manners. Definitely a work in progress.” It was accompanied by an adorable shot of the dogs standing side-by-side, looking up at the camera. The rest of the posts show the dogs playing tug-o-war, napping together, and even posing with their new sibling. Chelsea said: “We have definitely been overwhelmed with the response, but it’s such a good thing. We love how positive the community is and how happy [the dogs] are making everyone.”