Woman’s Dogs Weren’t Friends at First, Then Something Happened (Exclusive)

• Olaf, a deaf and reserved 100-lb. dog, initially ignored his family’s new puppy, Tank
• After weeks of failed bonding attempts, Olaf finally played with Tank in a heart-melting moment caught on camera
• Though still cautious, the two pups are forming a sweet, growing bond

When Claire brought her dog Tank home, she hoped her older dog Olaf would accept the tiny newcomer. But after four weeks of awkward encounters and cold shoulders, she and her partner Nate began to worry the two would never be friends.

“I honestly didn’t think they would be, like, best buds,” Claire admits to PEOPLE. “Olaf was just tolerating him, and there weren’t really any signs that they were going to be friends at all until that moment happened.” 

That moment — a video capturing Olaf, a gentle giant, finally playing with little Tank — quickly went viral on TikTok.

Claire describes Olaf and Tank as “very, very different.” Olaf, who is deaf, is “super chill and calm,” spending most of his time lounging and keeping a protective eye on his family. “He’s really goofy,” Claire says with a laugh. “He loves to give the side-eye and roll his eyes — he’s either extremely happy or he just doesn’t want to be bothered.” 

Tank, in contrast, is a whirlwind of puppy energy. “He’s super energetic and crazy, kind of naughty and always up to something,” Claire says. “But he just really wants to be best friends with everybody.”

The size difference between the two dogs is striking: Olaf weighs about 100 lbs., while Tank was just shy of 4 lbs. at his last vet visit. That disparity made Claire and Nate cautious about introducing them. 

“We thought a puppy would be good because Olaf can be weird with other dogs, especially since he’s so big,” Claire explains. “At first, Olaf was just terrified of Tank. He’d do the big bulging eyes and run away to hide on the bed where Tank couldn’t reach him.”

Despite Tank’s relentless attempts to win Olaf over — flopping on his back, tail wagging, eager for play — Olaf remained aloof. “He just ignored him every single time,” Claire recalls. “They never played once, as much as Tank wanted to.” 

The breakthrough came unexpectedly. Claire was sitting on the couch, phone in hand, when Tank approached Olaf as usual. “I just went to record it because he looked cute, but he’d done that a bunch before,” she says. “As I was recording, that’s when Olaf did the paw thing. My jaw dropped — I was just trying not to make noise because I didn’t want them to stop.”

The video captured Olaf’s tentative first play with Tank. “Once they were done, I told my boyfriend and he came and watched it and was like, ‘Oh my God, you have to post that. That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.’ ”

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Since then, their relationship has continued to develop, though not without setbacks. “It’s not like they’re immediately best friends now,” Claire says. “They’ve played like that a couple more times since, but it’s not just like a light switch going on.” Still, every playful interaction gives Claire hope. “That gave us a lot of encouragement.”

Managing their playtime requires vigilance, given Olaf’s size and Tank’s vulnerability. “I try to be present when they’re playing,” Claire says. “I don’t want to intervene too much because I want them to bond, but there are moments where I’m like, ‘Don’t roll on him — you’re 100 pounds!’ ”

She’s also mindful of Tank’s breed-specific health concerns, having installed stairs around the house and purchased pet insurance to protect against potential injuries.

Olaf’s deafness adds another layer of complexity to their dynamic. “He can’t hear Tank coming, so sometimes Tank will wake him up by biting him,” Claire says. “He’s so patient with him, but we have to be careful.”

Claire had to learn sign language to communicate with Olaf, and she suspects his deafness may contribute to his cautiousness with other dogs.

In all, the experience has been more than just Internet fame for Claire. “It’s been really special and really fun to see strangers share the same joy we get from our dogs,” she says. “We love it. We love them.”