Ever since Mika was a puppy, he’s always been protective of his toys.

“Mika has very strong sheepdog behavior, especially when it comes to guarding things,” Vanessa, whose family owns Mika, told The Dodo. “If we finished doing laundry and accidentally dropped a pair of socks he would steal them away to his bed and wouldn’t let anyone near [them].”

Mika is so gentle with his toys that they tend to last — and, over the years, he’s built up quite a collection. He spends most of his time cuddling them, and will occasionally play with them when he gets the zoomies, but is careful to make sure he never damages one of his precious toys.

Recently, Mika’s family noticed that his toys had become a bit dirty and smelly, but separating Mika from his collection long enough to give them a wash seemed impossible.

Until one day, Mika went out for a walk, and his mom jumped on the opportunity to give his toys the scrub they desperately needed. And, when Mika returned, he didn’t even need to step inside his home to know he had been betrayed.

“When he came back through the back gate with my dad he immediately walked onto the grass and stared up at the washing line,” Vanessa said. “After looking at my mum, and then back at the line, he put his bum on the ground and wouldn’t come to her call.”

Mika’s steadfast expression while protecting his toys said it all.

Until one day, Mika went out for a walk, and his mom jumped on the opportunity to give his toys the scrub they desperately needed. And, when Mika returned, he didn’t even need to step inside his home to know he had been betrayed.

“When he came back through the back gate with my dad he immediately walked onto the grass and stared up at the washing line,” Vanessa said. “After looking at my mum, and then back at the line, he put his bum on the ground and wouldn’t come to her call.”

Mika’s steadfast expression while protecting his toys said it all.

Mika refused to come inside without his precious toys. Instead, he chose to sit in the yard and guard them while they dried.

Vanessa shared the sweet photo on Reddit, writing, “My mum washed all the dog’s toys. And now he won’t come in the house without them.”

Once Mika was finally reunited with his toys, he happily went back to being his playful self — and started to get them dirty all over again.