A video portraying how dogs see the world through a viral filter on TikTok has broken the hearts of users on the video-sharing platform.
The video, which had 2.6 million views at the time of writing, was posted by TikToker Sydish (@s__lock) using a filter that strips out the colors that a dog’s eyes are unable to distinguish, leaving behind only shades of blue and yellow.
A message overlaid on the clip read “Now I know why dogs would rather be outside…” as the footage showed a dog curled up at the foot of a door amid a dull, mostly grayed-out interior space.
The clip then showed a view through a window on the top half of the door, which featured a more appealing backyard setting with a yellow-tinted patch of grass under a blue sky.
“Everything is so much brighter and happier out there,” a subsequent message overlaid on the clip said. A caption shared with the post read: “Here’s to more outside time.”
What Colors Do Dogs See?
A dog’s color perception is limited by the number of cones (the nerve cells in the eye that help differentiate colors) they have, veterinarian Dr. Jerry Klein, the chief veterinary officer at the American Kennel Club (AKC), told Newsweek in July 2021.
“Each type of cone connects with a different light wavelength,” said Klein, specifying that dogs are dichromatic, meaning they only have two types of cones.
Klein added that human eyes have a cone for red and green, which allows them to see a red rose or a green apple.
“Dogs, and some color-blind people, are missing the red-green cones. Dogs can see yellow and blue, and a combination of those hues,” which means they see a lot of the world as “grayish-brown,” Klein explained.
In an article published by the VCA, one of North America’s largest animal hospital chains, veterinarian Dr. Lynn Buzhardt noted that while dogs can’t appreciate all the colors that humans do, “their world is not entirely black and white. In fact, dogs live in a pretty colorful world.”
“A dog’s normal vision is most like a person who has red-green colorblindness. Having said that, no further degrees of colorblindness have been recorded in dogs,” she said.
‘Breaking My Heart’
Several users on TikTok were heartbroken over the latest viral clip.
Anndrea said: “This filter is breaking my heart. Like, they can’t even see the nice green grass.”
Fried babies said “I’m going to cry. be right back.” Adamvxamp said: “It makes me so sad because they can’t see how beautiful the grass and trees are.”
User j said “these are breaking my hearttt,” while user amiah wrote “poor doggies, they can’t see the colors we see.”
Others were less convinced that dogs are bothered about being outdoors and the limited perception of colors.
User @ne.ye wrote “I don’t think they care cause they don’t know that they can’t see all the colors. Who knows, maybe we are missing out on something but we don’t know.”
Hilda wrote: “They don’t know that there’s more, they are fine…”
User Idk said: “Or maybe they just rather play outside in the grass.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster via TikTok for comment. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a unique pet video to share? Send it to [email protected] with some details and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
The post Viral Filter Shows Internet the Real Reason Dogs Love To Go Outside appeared first on Newsweek.
