Footage of a dog’s final goodbyes is breaking hearts online.
A TikTok video posted by Charley Herrman Jr. (@charleyonthefarm) has gone viral after he shared a clip of his dog, Max, bidding farewell to the cows he herded for over a decade. Since the video was posted, it has received over 595,000 views. Herrman, 62, spoke to Newsweek about the tearful moment and the eventual loss of his longtime companion.
“Max’s last time to see his herd after 16 years working them, after a heart attack,” Herrman captioned the video, which shows Max in the back of a truck while the cows come close to him.
He said bringing Max to his herd one last time was difficult but necessary to properly acknowledge him and his dedication to the job.
“He had been my loyal work companion seven days a week for over 15 years, always eager to tackle the day alongside me,” he said.
Photos from Charley Herrman Jr.’s viral TikTok video. He took his dog to say goodbye to the cows he herded for 16 years.
@charleyonthefarm/TikTok
But recently, Max began showing signs of slowing down—and things soon escalated drastically.
“A couple days before the video, I noticed a significant change in his health; it was as if he had suffered a heart attack,” Herrman told Newsweek. “After consulting with our vet, we did everything we could to make him comfortable, hoping he might bounce back. But as the days passed, it became clear he wasn’t improving.”
Knowing Max’s love for the farm, Herrman knew how the dog would want to spend his final days.
“I knew how much he loved his work on the farm, herding the cows, so I took him back one last time to say goodbye to the life he cherished so deeply,” Herrman said.
It wasn’t Herrman’s first experience with loss on the farm. He lost Max’s father, Ira, an Australian shepherd, three years ago. He said that losing both son and father within a few years of each other has made the grief more difficult. Despite the pain, he is determined to carry on Max and Ira’s memories.
“Max’s story is truly special,” he said. “Ira taught him the ropes of being a good ‘cow dog,’ but Max took it to another level. He insisted on going to work seven days a week for all of his 15 years. He developed an incredible bond with the herd, always ensuring they were where they needed to be.
“He had this innate respect for the cows, and in return, they respected him. He was, without a doubt, the smartest dog I’ve ever had, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner on the farm.”
The deep relationship between Max and the cows is evident in the video, which shows how close the cows came to him in the truck’s bed. They seemed to know it was the last time they were seeing him.
“Sadly, I lost Max just a couple of days after our farewell,” Herrman said. “It’s been an incredibly tough loss; I can’t even bring myself to watch the farewell videos. Our farm holds so many moments that will always remind me of him.”
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