Man's Reaction As Wife Gives Greatest Gift This Christmas—'The Tail Wag'

A video of one man's heartwarming reaction to an unexpected Christmas surprise from his wife has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was posted by Audrey DeNeffe (@audreydeneffe) and has had 29.9 million views since it was shared on December 19. A message overlaid on the video read: "You surprise your husband with his dream puppy right before Christmas."

The footage began with a man opening a gift box to find a sweater with ski patterns on it inside. A voice in the clip said: "It's for Christmas...try it on."

The video showed the man wearing the sweater as the voice then said: "There's another small thing in the box. It's the second part of the gift."

The husband searched through the tissue paper in the box but found nothing more inside. A person is then seen coming from another room, carrying a dachshund puppy wearing a sweater matching the one worn by the man.

The viral post comes as Americans were reported to have planned to spend an average of $923 on Christmas and other holiday gifts, according to a November 2023 poll by Gallup

The majority planned to spend at least $500, including just over a third (35 percent) who said they were expecting to spend $1,000 or more, the poll found.

As touching as the surprise Christmas pet may have been in the latest video, "it's never a good idea to give dogs or puppies as a gift if the recipient hasn't been actively involved in choosing them," Sassafras Lowrey, a certified professional dog trainer, noted in a November 2023 article for the American Kennel Club (AKC).

Lowrey explained: "Even with the best intentions, you could end up in a situation where the person receiving the puppy struggles to bond with the puppy" or that particular pup may not be "a good breed for that person's lifestyle or personality."

Lowrey, who is the author of several books including Tricks In The City and Chew This Journal, also said that the Christmas season is "a busy, exciting, and often stressful and overwhelming period for families, which doesn't make it a good time to add a puppy into the mix."

Lowrey added: "Although having time off work and school at home can be great to help the adjustment and start potty training your puppy, this is a time of year when many people's schedules are in disarray. The joyful chaos of holiday festivities and visitors in the home makes it challenging for a puppy to get used to life in your home and family."

Those who want to gift a puppy during Christmas should consider giving the recipient "a letter telling them a puppy will be joining the family soon, rather than giving them the actual puppy on Christmas Day," she advised.

'So Excited'

A caption shared with the latest post read: "Rocky, our christmas pup #wienerdogpuppy #dachshundaddict #christmaspuppy #surprisepuppy."

The voice in the clip said "merry Christmas" as the puppy was handed to the man. "This is ours? We have a dog?" the husband asked. He said: "No, we do not!" in disbelief as he embraced the tiny dog, whose tail wagged furiously as the clip ended.

Several TikTok users were delighted by the husband's reaction in the latest clip.

User kerianacker wrote: "she didn't lie! it is something small!"

User ally said: "@sky why am i obsessed w this."

User des noted: "his little tail going crazy he's so excited to match with his new dad."

User @picklelizard91 said: "The way their tail went INTO FULL OVERDRIVE when given to dad."

Phoebe LeBoeuf wrote: "I feel like I just watched you hand a dachshund puppy to a golden retriever. The cutest reaction."

Kritter2.0 said: "How long until her realized he and puppy had matching sweaters lol."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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