An anxious shar-pei dog named Broccoli, with a very unusual habit, has quickly gone viral on social media, leaving internet users in stitches.
A viral TikTok video shared earlier in May by the pup’s owner, under the username @bonkcaiz, shows Broccoli, wearing a pink Piglet jacket, carefully walking backward as she leaves the kitchen after getting a treat.
“Broccoli accidentally hit her face once when she turned around to go back to her bed after getting treats, now she walks backward to avoid that from happening again,” the poster says in the clip. “What’s wrong with my dog?” she adds in the caption.
What’s wrong with my dog #capcut #dogsoftiktok #funny
The memory of her previous accident has clearly left Broccoli scarred for life. But how good are dogs at remembering things?
The fact that your pup responds to your commands and remembers tricks such as rolling or giving paw is proof that they have a good long-term memory, says a Pet MD article medically reviewed by Dr. Barri J. Morrison.
However, while their long-term memory may be good, their short-term one is related to them storing information on how to survive.
Morrison says that, every time your dog sees you grab their leash, they will remember that is the cue to go for a walk, but they won’t necessarily remember what went on during previous walks.
As dogs age, nearly a third of them will experience canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, also known as dementia, by the time they are 11 to 12 years old; and over two-thirds by the time they reach 15 to 16 years.
Signs include house-training problems, memory loss, disorientation and confusion, startling easily, staring into space or at walls, wandering aimlessly, getting stuck in corners, getting lost in familiar places, and obsessive behaviors, among others.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received more than 550,000 views and over 132,200 likes on the platform.
One user, Aq, commented: “Imagine you didn’t witness her getting hit and then all of a sudden she’s moonwalking everywhere.”
M0mento.mori8 posted: “Dogs are smarter than humans cause humans will do things over and over again and never learn.”
JM added: “I thought she was gonna turn around after a few couple steps but she just kept going.”
Newsweek reached out to @bonkcaiz for comment via Instagram messages. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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