Stranded No More: Astronaut Suni Williams Shares Tearful Dog Reunion After 9 Months in Space
After nine months aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams is finally back on Earth—and the first ones to welcome her home weren’t just humans. In a touching and joyfully chaotic moment, Williams shared a video of her emotional reunion with her two beloved dogs, melting hearts across the internet.
The footage, posted on X, shows the 59-year-old astronaut greeting her fur babies outside her Houston home after what was originally supposed to be a 10-day mission turned into a nine-month journey in orbit. The dogs—one tan, one chocolate brown—immediately rush toward Williams, tails wagging, bouncing with excitement as they recognize their long-lost human.
“Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am?” Williams says, crouching down to embrace her canine companions as they circle her. Despite the months apart, it’s clear the bond between them hasn’t faded.
As the reunion unfolds, the moment takes a light-hearted turn. One of the dogs, named Gunner, briefly wanders off, prompting Williams to ask with mock offense, “Gunner, are you giving me the cold shoulder? … Oh, you’ve got to pee?” She then laughs as the tan pup follows suit. “You copycat. Are you copying your big brother?”
Williams affectionately calls the pair her “little fat boys,” beaming with joy as they continue to zip around the yard, unable to contain their excitement. “Best homecoming ever,” she captioned the post.
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore had originally launched to the ISS aboard SpaceX Crew-9 in June 2024 for what was meant to be a short, 10-day stay. But due to a series of unexpected delays and complications, the crew was forced to remain on the station until March 18, 2025, when they finally splashed down off the coast of Florida.
Joining Williams and Wilmore for the return were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, both of whom had also spent extended time in orbit.
In her first post-mission interview with Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, Williams reflected on the surprise extension of her mission. “We just gotta pivot, you know?” she said. “If this was the destiny… we were going to be up there ’til February, I was like, ‘Okay, let’s make the best of it.’”
That adaptability, combined with her love for her four-legged family members, made her return all the sweeter. For Williams, it’s clear: there’s no place like home—and no welcome quite like one from a dog.