Dog's 'Love-Hate' Relationship With Neighbors Shown in Hilarious Video
A very expressive dog has gone viral for showing her dismay at her owner when she wasn't allowed to go outside and bark at the neighbors.
Misty Whittaker filmed the hilarious video of her Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain mix, Lily, glaring out the window as the neighbors were outside their home. On this occasion, poor Lily wasn't permitted outside to see them, which she took quite personally.
Whittaker, who shared the video on TikTok (@missdee_dubs) on February 25, said that Lily "has a love-hate relationship" with the neighbors. When the dog doesn't have to stay behind a fence, she loves seeing her neighbors, but when she's obstructed by the fence or her neighbors don't give her any treats, she barks at them.
Many owners know the annoyance of having their dog bark every time the doorbell rings or whenever the neighbors come and go into their house. As Whittaker was trying to do with Lily, there are ways of minimizing how frequently the dog barks.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) suggests adding blinds or curtains if the dog looks out of the window often. Or distract the animal with sounds from a radio, TV or white noise to discourage the dog from barking at everything it sees or hears outside.
The AKC also says that a dog might bark if it's bored or in need of attention, so giving it more stimulation and fulfillment during the day can help too.
Thankfully, Whittaker saw the humor in the situation, as she joked on TikTok that "their relationship is complicated." Since the video was shared, it has generated over 289,000 views and 39,000 likes.
Whittaker, who lives on British Columbia's Salt Spring Island, spoke about Lily's entertaining reactions and her newfound fame online.
"Lily had seen that our neighbors were out in the yard, and she has a problem expressing her excitement without sounding too scary when she barks," Whittaker told Newsweek. "They love her, but it can be a lot when they're out with their toddler to have Lily barking through the fence at them.
"Me and Lily have lots of conversations like this. She's super smart and I love her reactions, especially when she doesn't get her way. She always makes me laugh. I just love how chatty she is and how funny she gets," Whittaker said.
In the video, Lily is seriously unhappy after she is told she can't go outside until the neighbors were gone. She reacts with muted barks and groans, followed by a piercing stare. After the cheeky pup realized she couldn't get what she wanted, she turned her head away in defiance.
TikTok users found Lily's expressions thoroughly entertaining, and hundreds of people commented on her human-like reactions.
Whittaker has been left incredulous by the responses to the video, saying how glad she is that more people can appreciate her hilarious pet. "Unexpectedly, people started connecting with her just as much as I do. They could see her intelligence and how sassy she is," she said.
"Our youngest thinks it's awesome that she's gone viral, and people have been so sweet with their comments about our funny floof, Lily."
Among the hundreds of comments left on the video, one person wrote: "Her eyes are so expressive, OMG I love her," to which Whittaker responded: "Oh yes, she says it all in the eyes!"
Another person who lauded Lily's reaction commented: "The side eye at the end was everything."
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