Have you ever wondered what your pets get up to when you leave the house? YouTuber Mike the Intern did, so he tied a GoPro camera to his dog's collar to find out —and the results are a lot less funny than anyone could probably have guessed. Seriously, you guys. There are no hilarious puppy hijinks. There’s no mischief. There isn’t even any doggy napping or snoring. In case you needed proof that our pets really do care about us… this video is it.
A friend of Mike’s had recently acquired the GoPro used to shoot the video; with the camera readily available, the two of them realized they could now find out what Mike’s pup did when they weren’t home. Afterwards, Mike edited the footage down to not quite four minutes; you can watch the whole thing below, but here’s the general gist of what happens during it: After Mike and his friend leave, the dog just sits there are stares at the door for a while. Then he starts looking around, trying to see if maybe they’re just hiding. He heads to the window; then he takes a lap around the house before arriving back at the door. And when he realizes his human is gone? He makes a beeline for Mike’s bed, curls up in a pile of his clothes… and proceeds to howl at the ceiling. It looks and sounds like this:
According to a Reddit thread Mike posted the video in, he’s had his furry little buddy for about six years — and this was the first time he’d ever heard him howl. Awwwwwwwwwwww.
Just to be clear, your pet crying when you leave doesn’t mean you’re a bad pet owner; it just probably means your furry friend is suffering from separation anxiety, which is a pretty common thing. As one commenter on YouTube put it, “This dog has separation anxiety. Kids usually have it at some point. Does that mean that parents are abusing their kids when they leave them at day care or school? If you responded ‘No,’ please give yourself a pat on the back. You are on your way to having a healthy, knowledgeable brain. If you responded ‘Yes,’ please proceed to your nearest library and pick up several dozen books on child and pet psychology, as well as a dictionary.”
There are ways to help your pet cope with separation anxiety, though, so if your dog (or cat, or what have you — one of my cats spends a minute or so making sad little noises whenever either my boyfriend or I leave the house, although she gets over it pretty quickly) is having issues, you can work on them. The ASPCA’s page on pet separation anxiety is a good place to start; heading to your vet or a pet behavioral specialist, though, will probably be your best bet for figuring out coping strategies.
BRB. I need to go cuddle my kitties, even though I’m usually at home with them for the entire day. I love you, cats! Don’t ever think otherwise!
Image: Giphy
