A pup named Petunia went viral after her foster carer filmed her helping with the laundry, but internet users think there could be more behind her unusual behavior.
A TikTok clip, shared in December under the username @petuniaunleashed, shows the American Staffordshire terrier/French bulldog leading the poster to the dryer, tapping her paws on the glass as if asking her to get it open. Once the poster opens the lid, Petunia jumps straight into it to get a closer angle, making sure nothing is left behind.
"My foster mom decided not to add music to this video because she wants you to see just how seriously I take my dryer duty! This is my daily routine—every single morning, without fail!" says the caption.
Even after taking a thorough inspection of the machine, the pup refuses to leave, choosing to bark and lunge at it instead. Newsweek reached out to @petuniaunleashed for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
The pup's unusual behavior quickly grabbed the attention of users on social media, receiving over 760,000 views and more than 56,000 likes on the platform, and some have shared their theories as to why she keeps doing this.
Peggiejenkins755 commented: "Have you moved the dryer out to see if anything's behind it?? Animals can hear and smell things we can't!!"
Jen Ozment posted: "Serious question? Do you have a gas dryer? If so please get it checked for a leak immediately."
Brandi Trent added: "Petunia's beef with the dryer runs DEEP."
Most users believe that Petunia can probably smell something in or around the dryer, although it's still not clear what, and that is a plausible reason.
Dogs' noses have on average 220 million scent receptors in their noses, compared to just 5 million in humans, says Georgia-based veterinarian Dr. Jess Kirk on Vet Explains Pets. These make their sense of smell 100,000 times better than ours.
According to an article by Pet MD, reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Coates, dogs' noses also have the extraordinary skill to smell the passage of times, by detecting the tiny reductions in odor molecules that occur over short periods of time. This way they can determine which direction someone took just by smelling the ground.
Some breeds have a better sense of smell than others. For example, German shepherds and Labrador retrievers have the best smelling abilities, while dogs with short faces like pugs may not be as skilled.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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