Hannah Foraker hasn’t spent much time away from home, so three months in basic combat training and AIT (advanced individual training) is something her family isn’t used to.

Taking it harder than most was Foraker’s golden retriever, Buddy.

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When Foraker returned home for Christmas, it was Buddy who got more excited than anyone else. Foraker recently posted a video of the exchange with Buddy upon returning home.

According to Yahoo! News:

Buddy suffers from arthritis and is mostly deaf. So Foraker worries that each time she sees her might be the last. She keeps in touch with Buddy while she’s away via Skype.

“When I came home we let her outside and, at first, she didn’t realize I was home,” Foraker told ABC News. “Then, she did a double-take and came back to me. That’s when she started crying and whimpering. She was so excited.”