2-Year-Old Boy and Labradoodle Make the Most Adorable Duo
Mr. Reagan and his "Little Buddy" have become an Instagram sensation.
-- Dogs are a man’s best friend, they say. But what about little men?
If this adorable duo has anything to say about it, then the age-old adage still applies.
For the two -- Mr. Reagan the Australian Labradoodle and his “Little Buddy” -- it was love at first sight.
Sandi Swiridoff adopted Mr. Reagan after her daughter, a foster parent, had two of her foster children adopted. The foster grandmother said she knew she would need something to fill the hole, and an adorable new puppy did just that.
Shortly after, Swiridoff’s daughter received a new child to care for. The child, referred to as Little Buddy for privacy reasons, quickly became Mr. Reagan’s best friend.
Both Mr. Reagan and Little Buddy were 11 months old when they first met. The two boys turned 2 in February.
“When they met, they just clicked and bonded,” Swiridoff told ABC News. “It looked like love at first sight and they have been best friends ever since.”
The two were so adorable that Swiridoff couldn’t help but snap pictures of them together. The photos would soon become her Instagram’s biggest hits.
Now, more than a year later, photos of the two appear regularly on Mr. Reagan’s Instagram account. Swiridoff does not show Little Buddy’s face; instead, she dresses the boys to match and captures their special moments together.
“They act like brothers, they will steal each other’s toys and run and chase each other,” Swiridoff said. “When Little Buddy is eating lunch, Reagan will sit by his high chair and Little Buddy will sneak him food. And when Little Buddy is over at my house and I put him down for a nap, Reagan will sit outside the door and wait for him to wake up.”
But as precious as the two are, the photos on Instagram are about more than just making you say "aw." Swiridoff said her biggest goal is to bring awareness to foster care.
This past holiday season, Swiridoff put together a calendar featuring photos of Mr. Reagan and Little Buddy. She raised $1000, half of which went to an organization that purchases presents for foster children during the holidays, and the other half to Foster Parents Night Out, an organization that entertains foster children for a night so that their caretakers can enjoy a night to themselves.
She has already begun working on the 2017 calendar, which will be available for purchase on Etsy.
Mr. Reagan has more than 90,0000 followers on Instagram. He is currently in training to become a therapy dog, but has not yet taken his tests.
Until then, Swiridoff said, he will continue to be everyone’s “internet therapy dog.”