Man Takes Video of Golden Retriever on Vacation. Minutes Later, Dog Is Dead from 'Horrific' Incident (Exclusive)

Johnny Hilbrant was looking guardant to spending Memorial Day play successful 2024 pinch his dogs and his family. Then, nan unthinkable happened. 

Hilbrant, 35, was driving up to his reservoir location successful Maine alongside his dogs, Sammy, 2, and Nahla, 6, erstwhile he whipped retired his telephone to seizure nan moment.

As nan car turned onto nan ungraded road, Hilbrant realized that Nahla knew wherever they were, truthful he took a video of her successful nan car, not realizing it would beryllium his last. 

He later shared nan video connected TikTok, captioned, "What's your favourite scary movie? Idk astir apt this video I person of my canine pulling up to nan reservoir location successful Maine. She was dormant 90 seconds aft this was taken." The video went viral, amassing complete 19 cardinal views. 

Now, Hilbrant tells PEOPLE what happened that time and really he has learned to header pinch nan nonaccomplishment of his saccharine Golden Retriever.

Hilbrant says he parked nan car conscionable 1 infinitesimal aft taking nan video, and they were greeted by his father-in-law, who was opinionated outside. Nahla ran complete to his in-law, kissing him and jumping up and down successful excitement.

"After greeting him, she did a 180 and sprinted crossed nan driveway," Hilbrant shares. "Instead of moving successful a consecutive line, she veered to nan correct astir a ft and into nan backmost of our car. She deed her caput pinch utmost unit connected nan alloy tailpipe of our car."

Hilbrant says she "stood up dazed, had a little seizure, and past collapsed to nan ground."

"We knew instantly that she was gone," he shares. "The adjacent respective minutes were a complete scary arsenic we were helpless and knew we could not thief Nahla." 

The canine dada says it's still "unclear whether Nahla had a cardiac arena that caused her to veer into nan car aliases if she had mislaid her footing and deed her head."

"It was 1 of nan astir horrific things I person ever witnessed successful person," he adds.

Hilbrant and his hubby adopted Nahla successful 2018 and considered her their "soul dog" because she was truthful well-behaved and fresh correct into their family. He decided to stock her tragic decease connected TikTok to item nan profound condolences that is associated pinch pet loss. 

TikTok, Hilbrant says, "has helped maine a batch pinch grief." 

"Seeing others stock stories of loved ones aliases pets who person passed has been therapeutic for me," he says. "In 2022, I mislaid my copy sister unexpectedly, and #grieftok was a adjuvant spot for me. Some of america who person mislaid group aliases pets want to talk astir them. We don't want group to hide them."

"This is simply a large portion of maine now," he adds. "These losses person changed me. If I americium to show up authentically connected societal media, I must stock nan difficult worldly too."

Hilbrant says he besides wanted to spot if anyone other had "ever had thing akin hap to their pet."

"There were a mates of group who person dealt pinch akin situations, and that made maine consciousness a small little alone," he notes.

The aforesaid measurement different group were location for him, he hopes to beryllium location for others going done nan aforesaid grief.

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"If you are grieving nan nonaccomplishment of a pet, don't fto anyone make you consciousness for illustration you are overreacting. Losing your pet is sadistic and made harder by nan truth that nine doesn't look to dainty it anyplace adjacent nan aforesaid measurement we dainty losing a human," Hilbrant shares. "I find myself weeping complete a photograph of my sister and sobbing watching a video of Nahla playing connected nan beach."

Hilbrant shares his proposal for different pet parents, noting that "you tin ne'er beryllium excessively cautious aliases excessively careful." 

"While we don't cognize if this was a wellness rumor aliases a freak accident, it was a bully reminder that thing tin happen," he says. "Remaining vigilant and being concerned for your pet's information doesn't make you a chopper canine parent, it makes you smart."

"If this were so an accident, we would not person been capable to forestall it," he adds. "Living pinch nan reality that you are not ever successful power is very difficult for maine arsenic personification who is ever 2 steps ahead."