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This golden retriever adorably cares for his 'mini-me' stuffed animal best friend

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The History of Dogs as Pets
barleyboy/Instagram
ByKate Roush
July 05, 2019, 8:32 AM

What happens when man’s best friend has his own best friend? The answer is found on the must-see Instagram account, @barleyboy.

Zita Butler, 31, and Marc Wisselo, 32, live together in Amsterdam and decided less than two years ago that it was time to have a four-legged best friend join their home.

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"He doesn’t come from a breeder, just a nice family in the north of Holland," Butler told "Good Morning America." "When we went to visit the litter, the man placed soon-to-be-named Barley in Marc’s arms, and Barley gave him a kiss and fell asleep. We knew he was the one. It was the best decision we ever made."

"We knew he was the one. It was the best decision we ever made."

Named after Wisselo’s beer-brewing hobby, Barley is a fun-loving golden retriever who loves attention, exploring, the "bakfiets" -- a Dutch bike made to transport children -- built especially for him by Wisselo, and his special couch at the house of his "grandparents," whom he loves so much.

But what is Barley to do when his humans are not around? Thankfully, his owners were on top of it.

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The now 1-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever has found undeniable friendship with his very own mini-me, a golden retriever stuffed animal dubbed "Fluffy."

"They chill together the entire day," Butler says. "Every single time the human comes home, Barley picks up Fluffy and brings him over as a welcome-home present. Whenever he hears a loud noise, he picks up Fluffy for comfort. He brings Fluffy to bed. He brings Fluffy with him when he has a bath, so Fluffy gets washed, too."

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Like most young golden retrievers, Barley has ruined almost every other toy. But Fluffy is a whole different story. Not only has the dog never once harmed his plush best friend, but he is even concerned when it seems like Fluffy is in danger!

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Thankfully, the public will not miss a moment of Barley and Fluffy’s adventures as they are all captured on the beloved pair’s Instagram account.

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"Peoples' love for Barley, and for dogs in general, is beautiful. To us, Barley is the best in the world, so it’s awesome to be able to share his fun personality with everyone," remarked Butler to "GMA."

With more than 83,000 followers, @barleyboy has made its mark for animal lovers everywhere with Butler behind the camera and Wisselo as the occasional guest star. A recent saga that captured the hearts of many followers was Barley’s being neutered, but he and his best friend went through it together.

"Fluffy is his best friend and also his comfort blanket. They’re inseparable," Butler said.

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Barley will be the ring bearer at Wisselo and Butler’s upcoming wedding in Amsterdam this September. We’ve got our fingers crossed that Barley and Fluffy will be adorned in matching suits!

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