A senior farm dog in southwest Washington has stolen hearts online after uncovering her Christmas present a little ahead of schedule—and ignoring every other gift in the process.
Remington the Kelpie lives with her human Jessi, owner of The Homestead Farm in southwest Washington. The pup was caught on video carefully digging through bins of Christmas gifts and managing to locate a single item meant just for her: a stuffed bunny.
The video, shared by The Homestead Farm on Instagram, shows Remington calmly settling down with the toy, as text on screen reads, “Someone found the Christmas presents early!”
The clip quickly resonated with viewers, many of whom praised the dog’s determination—and apparent lack of guilt.
“My partner Uly rescued her when she was just a puppy. Rem has always loved bunnies—Uly calls them her ‘bun-buns,’” owner Jessi told Newsweek.
The bunny toy was meant to be a stocking stuffer, purchased during a routine stop at a local feed store. Like many pet-loving households, The Homestead Farm goes all out for the holidays. “All five of our dogs have stockings, along with our two cats,” Jessi said.
She caught Uly in the act one busy afternoon as she briefly left the house to go shopping. In a rush, they accidentally left the door open to Jessi’s work area—a space normally off-limits to the animals and used to stash Christmas gifts.
“In the 20 minutes that door was open, she managed to dig through both bins of Christmas gifts,” Jessi said. “She ignored the bones and other snacks and somehow found this bun-bun. She had never seen it before.”
The moment was particularly surprising given Remington’s age. “Remington has been a challenging dog at times because her breed is very high energy,” Jessi said. “Now that she’s in her retirement years, she’s slowed down a lot. So this little stunt was a welcome laugh for all of us.”
In the video, Jessi can be heard laughing uncontrollably—a reaction she attributes to pure shock.
Despite being caught red-pawed, Remington showed no remorse.
“Rem doesn’t hear very well at all,” Jessi explained. “She had no idea I was there until she spotted me out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take, stared at me—and clearly had no shame in her act of thievery.”
The moment reflects a broader trend among pet owners who increasingly treat their animals as full-fledged family members during the holidays.
According to a 2024 survey by Weenect, 76.9 percent of pet owners planned to give their pets Christmas presents, with toys and treats ranking as the most popular gifts. Most owners spent less than $58 on gifts for pets, but some admitted bills of over $150 on their furry friends’ Christmas.
The tradition is slightly more common among dog owners, with 80.4 percent saying they buy gifts for their dogs, compared with 74.1 percent of cat owners. For nearly three-quarters of respondents (74.4 percent), the practice began when they first adopted their pet.
For Jessi and her family, Remington’s early Christmas surprise was less about the gift and more about the joy it brought.
“At her age, moments like this are extra special,” Jessi said. “She made us laugh—and honestly, I can’t imagine life without dogs.”
