There’s nothing more adorable than a puppy. We’d go as far as saying that people who don’t like puppies are not to be trusted.

If you’re yet to cry at your phone screen today, we’ve got just the video for you.
It shows a little boy being presented with a puppy – and when he cries with happiness, it’ll melt your heart like nothing else.

Xander Mellor lives in Springfield, Illinois. He’d been desperatley begging his parents for a puppy for years, never thinking that anything would come of it.

But what Xander didn’t know was that his parents were secretly plotting a special surprise that he’d never forget.
On a trip to his grandparents’ house, Xander’s mom, Natalie, told her son to wait outside in the front yard while his grandparents returned from a trip out.

She then whipped out her phone to capture what she knew would be a super-sweet moment with her camera.

In the video, Xander heads over to his grandma’s car and waits for her to get out.

When the door opens, comically bumping Xander in the process, he’s told to close his eyes and hold his hands out.

He’s probably wondering what on earth is going on by this point, but he obligingly moves out of his grandmother’s way, then says,

“Okay, I’m not going to move.”

Xander’s grandma tells him to tilt his hands up, and the little boy does so, so it looks as if he’s cradling something in mid-air.

Then the special moment arrives – his grandma places a tiny puppy in his arms.

Xander opens his eyes and gasps at the pup, then smiles up at his mom. From behind the camera, Natalie asks,

“What do you think?”

But it’s all too special for Xander to manage a reply. He starts to say “I love it”, before bursting into tears, still clutching the puppy to his chest.

According to Natalie, little Xander had been saving every penny of his pocket money for a dog.
Natalie decided to keep the gifting of his puppy a surprise, and, at the time of the video, Xander thought he still had one more jar to fill before the big day would arrive.

The dog is the first puppy that the Mellor family have ever had, and they decided to name him Marshmallow, or Mello for short.

Of course, the family had been thinking about getting a dog for a long time, and had prepared well for the big day.

Surprising a friend or family member with a dog is a beautiful thing to do, but you should only do it if you, or they, are equipped to take on the responsibility.

This is especially relevant this year, when the COVID lockdown has seen thousands of families take on a pet while everyone has had more time at home recently.

After online searches for getting a puppy increased by a reported 120%, charity Dogs Trust temporaraly changed its popular slogan, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” to A dog is for life, not just for lockdown”.

Since the video, which has been watched more than 50,000 times, Xander and Marshmallow have become the best of friends.
We’d love to see an update of how they’re getting on today, as the video was shared September last year. Scroll down to watch the adorable footage just below.

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