Tis the season to be jolly, but one woman's Christmas night out recently took an unexpected turn after checking her pet camera.
While there are many benefits to the device that allows owners like Julia, 31, to see and speak to their furry friends from afar, there's also the downside of seeing how pets cope while home alone.
On December 14, Julia shared a video on TikTok (@wally.meets.world) of herself checking the pet camera app while on a night out. The video of her golden retriever, Wally, sitting on the sofa with a sad expression, quickly went viral, gathering over 10 million views.
"We rarely leave him," she told Newsweek, adding that she hates him being alone.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), adult dogs shouldn't be home alone for much longer than six to eight hours without a chance for a bathroom break.
But four-year-old Wally, who is described as an "emotional dog," shows signs of sadness when left alone which makes it much harder for Julia to leave him.
"He is sweet and goofy and just loves being with us so much," she said.
However, Julia, from Boston, states that she misses him while out, so she often leaves social events early to keep the four-year-old dog company.
"We check the camera frequently anytime we leave the house, but on that night out, we got an alert that there was 'motion downstairs.' We opened it up and saw him there looking at the camera," she said.
The clip caption explained that was her cue to leave. She added that the pet camera can sometimes make her feel at ease.
"But it can also make you a little sad," she told Newsweek.
Although Julia is happy to return home to Wally, the AKC advises training dogs to be comfortable alone from a young age. Without this training, dogs may develop problematic behaviors when left unattended.
At best, an untrained puppy might entertain themselves in ways that are inconvenient or destructive for you. At worst, they could develop separation anxiety—a serious condition where the dog experiences intense stress from the moment you leave until you return.
So far, the video has racked up 1.6 million likes and over 5,300 comments.
One user took a less sympathetic approach, commenting, gathering over 118,000 likes, they said: "Too late he's mad already just stay dance."
"He's not upset—he's disappointed," joked another.
A third commenter wrote: "Guilt tripping at its finest."
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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