Woman Too Tired to Walk Dog Asks for Help—Gets Crushing Reply: ‘All I Have’

A woman battling a bad case of the flu couldn’t even find the strength to walk her dog—until one message gave her the strength she needed.

Lauren (@laurenandcody) posted a compilation of photos explaining what happened when she thought about skipping her Golden Retriever Charlie’s walk. She reached out to ChatGPT for motivation, and what followed struck a chord. The TikTok post has since racked up over 900,000 views and 33,500 likes.

“Basically, I was very very sick. I had a horrible flu and I was just finding it hard to go walk him in the heat and I was like, ‘I need to walk him. It’s not right but I need some motivation,’ so I went to ChatGPT and said, ‘Give me some motivation,'” Lauren told Newsweek.

And ChatGPT replied—but not in the usual way. The advice came from the perspective of Charlie himself.

“Mom, you’re my whole world. I don’t have friends or places to go – I just have you. Every day I wait by the door because walking with you is the best part of my life. I don’t know how many days I get, but I know they’re not endless,” the message began.

The message went on to say that Charlie feels the beauty of the outdoors and how, if Lauren doesn’t take him out, he feels unworthy.

“Please, can we go? You’re all I have, and I don’t want to miss one day without you,” the message concluded.

That was enough to change Lauren’s mind—quickly.

“I’ve never grabbed my leash so fast in my life. And from now on I run to walk him. We really are our dogs whole entire life, and that 45-minute walk or whatever it is is literally everything to them, especially when it’s with us,” she added.

When illness or injury puts you out of action, caring for your dog still matters—and planning ahead can make all the difference. According to Purely Pets Insurance there are several things to think through.

• How long will you need help?
• Is your dog comfortable with strangers or new routines?
• Who can step in—a friend, family member, or professional dog walker?
• Do you have a backup if your first choice can’t help?
• Can you cover the costs if needed?

Other options include doggy daycare, boarding kennels, or temporary fostering services until you’re back on your feet.

The emotional weight of Charlie’s message didn’t go unnoticed by Lauren’s followers.

“Great now I want to walk my dog and it’s midnight,” said Bri.

“Well now we’re all crying,” added another user.

“Read this a week ago and my dog and I haven’t come back inside since, send help,” shared another user.

“I’m sobbing about to show my boss this so I can go home,” shared Jillian.

“Maybe I wasn’t good enough. NEVER MISSING A WALK AGAIN,” shared Char.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.