A video of a dog managing to locate its owner who hid inside furniture has gone viral on TikTok, where it received 7 million views at the time of this writing.
The video shared from the TikTok account @thegoldenellie begins with the owner tucking herself into the storage space of a couch and closing it shut.
Later, a golden retriever was seen hopping onto the sofa and pacing in circles, as a message overlaid on the video read: “It smells like she’s [right] here but she’s not.”
The dog was later seen investigating different spots in the room with its nose, including the bottom of the sofa, as subsequent messages overlaid on the video read: “The couch [ate] her” and “keep breathing.”
A January 2020 study published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology stated that “olfaction [the sense of smell] is a principle sensory modality for dogs.”
Using natural body odor captured on a T-shirt, the study found that “dogs habituated to a familiar odor and dishabituated to an unfamiliar odor.”
In a September 2020 article for Psychology Today, Daniel Marston, a licensed psychologist specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy, said: “What was particularly interesting about this study [the aforementioned one from January 2020] was that it addressed how dogs reacted and used the smell of a familiar person even if that person was not actually there.”
Dogs also have heightened visual and hearing capabilities, so if “the person was actually there [in the January 2020 study], it would not be certain whether the dog actually smelled the person most or might have heard some small noise the person made,” the psychologist said.
The dog in the latest viral video appeared to suddenly be startled by the sound of some movement. The golden retriever’s ears perked up as it got up from the floor and jumped onto the sofa again, as another message overlaid on the clip read: “She’s alive, we haven’t got much time.”
The golden retriever was seen sniffing out another corner of the couch before the owner slowly began opening the storage cover, which saw the dog immediately stand up straight. The pet was seen poking its head inside the storage space as the clip ended.
The latest video has delighted users on TikTok, with many praising the dog for being good at playing hide and seek.
TikToker Enoch wrote: “OMG [oh my god] [she] is so smart [wide-eyed surprised face emoji],” while WeeDimpleDolly wrote: “I love playing hide and seek with my dog [crying laughing emoji].”
Nanko Rusev said: “She is a good girl,” while Ro agreed, writing: “Good dog. They never gave up hope of finding you.”
Colleen Hicks949 said: “So funny [crying laughing emojis],” while alek kella questioned: “Why do I think my husky would sit on top and not let me out?”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment. This video has not been independently verified.
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The post Golden Retriever Sniffs Out Owner Hiding Inside Sofa in Adorable Video appeared first on Newsweek.
