Watch a service dog on Disney Cruise reunite with his favorite character

A service dog on a Disney Cruise ran into his favorite character, and much happiness followed.

Forest, a happy-go-lucky golden retriever owned by content creator Ashton McGrady, is a big fan of Pluto, the beloved yellow dog and friend of Mickey Mouse. Forest has encountered Pluto many times, starting in 2021 at Disney World, so he was incredibly excited to see him again on the Disney Creators Lab cruise (for social media influencers aboard the Disney Wish) in March.

After seeing Pluto approach, Forest wagged his entire body and nuzzled up against the costumed cast member. The dog showed big Pluto a small, stuffed Pluto toy in his mouth and even rolled over for belly scratches. Both posed for a paw-waving photo.

Take a look at McGrady’s viral video with 2.2 million viewers so far, posted to her TikTok account at @radiantlygolden. She captioned it, “proof that distance won’t keep the very best of friends apart ❤️🚢✨ we love you pluto!!!”

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Ashton replied to a comment noting that the Pluto cast member must have been “having the best day ever” that the sweet moment drew an appreciative, smiling audience.

While it looks like Forest got to greet other characters on the cruise, like Daisy, he was not nearly as enthusiastic as he was with his Pluto encounter. A video montage McGrady shared on TikTok of Forest greeting other Disney characters also shows that Pluto gets extra love.

Forest is also a very well-trained service dog but is allowed to enjoy some downtime in these moments.

“I’ve always said that I’ve never had a dog like him,” McGrady told People. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have a dog like him in the future. He is just a very silly, happy-go-lucky kind of dog. And so, so loyal and loving.”