Most dogs have routines they live by: the walk, the dinner bowl, the spot on the couch. Dakota, a Golden Retriever, has one more to add to that list. Every day, without fail, she shows up when her mom sits down to do her makeup. Not invited. Not called. Just there, right on time, because she knows.
A video of this daily ritual, shared on Instagram by Dakota’s owner on the account @dakotaandnina, has been melting hearts across social media, racking up over 11,000 likes since it was posted.
Watch the video below.
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She Has a Standing Appointment
The clip opens on a doorway. A few seconds in, Dakota walks through it, calm and purposeful, as if she had this blocked out in her schedule. The text over the video reads: “When your dog has been getting her lashes done for so long that she knows when it’s appointment time.”
What follows is exactly as sweet as it sounds. Dakota settles in beside her mom, looking up at her as the makeup routine continues. Her mom leans in and asks if she’s there to get her eye makeup done. Then she gives the dog a little kiss and pretends to do her eyelashes. Dakota, for her part, holds very still and looks absolutely delighted.
In the caption, her mom wrote: “My sweet girl gets so excited everyday for me to do her makeup.”
Why People Can’t Stop Watching
The comments section filled up quickly. “She’s so cute,” wrote one person. “The way she looks at you,” said another. It’s a short clip, barely a minute long, but it captures something that any dog owner will recognise immediately: the way a dog builds its own version of your routine into its day, and shows up for it like it matters, because to them, it does.
Dakota doesn’t know what mascara is. She doesn’t care about the mirror or the lighting. She’s there because her mom is there, and that’s the whole reason.
Golden Retrievers have a well-earned reputation for being attuned to their owners’ habits and moods, and Dakota appears to be a textbook example. She hasn’t missed an appointment yet.
September 14, 2026
