'Loving' Golden Retriever Finds Kitten in Backyard: 'They're the Best of Buddies' (Exclusive)

"His heart is made of gold," Tristan the dog's owner tells PEOPLE

When a golden retriever named Tristan spotted a tiny black kitten in his owner's backyard, he was excited to let her know.

"Tristan has a habit of finding orphaned animals," Aly Conyers tells PEOPLE, noting that the canine had also recently found a baby deer on her Tennessee property. "I don't know how he does it; he has a radar for it.'

Conyers went out to see why Tristan was trying to get her attention and found him "whining and barking, and staring at this little bitty bundle stuck in the grass."

"He was just going wild," she recalls of the soon-to-be 4-year-old dog.

Conyers hoped to return the kitten to his mom, but when she didn't turn up, she began caring for the small feline.

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Since the duo met in July, Tristan and the little cat have become "the best of buddies." Tristan gives his new friend nuzzles, and the pair enjoys hanging out on a blanket in the sun.

"I just think it's the funniest thing because this kitten will always try to move towards Tristan, even when he was really little and just waddling around," Conyers says. "I have other dogs here, and they all want to see him, but that cat could care less about them, but he loves Tristan."

Other pooches currently living with Conyers include Tristan's mom, Ari, and a crew of six dogs she's training in a puppy program she runs called Conyers Canines. 

While Conyers has worked with "literally hundreds" of dogs, she calls Tristan "the most unique, loving dog on the planet."

"His heart is made of gold," she says of Tristan, named after Brad Pitt's character in Legends of the Fall.

Related: Nevada Rescue Dog Looking for a Home Again After Family Returned Pet for Being 'Too Boring'

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Tristan, who acts as Conyers' "right-hand man" with her student pups, was with the other golden retrievers in the group when they discovered two of the kitten's siblings in the yard.

Since documenting Tristan's discovery on TikTok, Conyers says people have been eager for updates on the pair's bond.

"People are just in love with both of them," she says. "Of course, Tristan steals anybody's heart."

"When you take him out in public, you can see people barely being able to contain themselves in general," Conyers adds. "It's like walking around with a celebrity."

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