A mischievous golden retriever called Luna hit upon a novel way to avoid landing herself an extended stay in the doghouse.
In a video uploaded to TikTok by her owner Jasmine Mendoza, Luna can be seen pretending to be asleep after being confronted with the chewed-up remains of a shoe.
She's pretty convincing but clearly lacked the patience to see her plan through.
In the clip, Luna can be observed opening her eyes within seconds to see if the coast is clear. Unfortunately for her, it was not. It's a shame too, as Luna put a lot of effort into her performance as a sleeping pooch, going as far as letting her tongue loll out of her mouth for that extra bit of authenticity.
@jasmz18 How can I be mad at her 😂 #dog #dogmom #dogsofttiktok
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Although she may have lacked the stamina to see her ruse through, perhaps she thought she would be better off shooting Mendoza one of those adorably guilty expressions dogs are famous for.
Either way, her response seemed to do the trick. Luna's owner went from being unhappy at the state of her chewed up shoe to laughing at her dog's antics. "How can I be mad at her," Mendoza wrote alongside the clip.
It was impressive, considering she said she bought the shoes earlier that day.
Given dogs' predilection for snoozing, Mendoza could have been forgiven for falling for Luna's ruse.
Dogs love to sleep. A 2016 study conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Lincoln in the U.K. concluded they nap for as much as 37 percent of the day.
Pet lovers were enraptured online by Luna's antics, with Mendoza's clip accumulating 3.7 million views in the space of a few days.
The comments came thick and fast on the video.
Betsybenator wrote: "I'm sorry but that makes me laugh, she looks so innocent." Mimiii.773 agreed: "She didn't do it."
Taiaysha commented: "I'd laugh so hard they would not be in trouble," with Bigeyz26 adding:"She's innocent! Look at her face!"
Justjenny_76 imagined Luna telling her owner: "Please do not disturb me, I'm catching up on my beauty sleep" while joyzorichmcallist35 interpreted it as the dog saying: "I did not DO THAT MOM!!!"
Meeksmumbo, meanwhile, was impressed with Luna's performance. "She got her tongue out and everything," she said. "I thought my dog was the drama."
Newsweek has contacted Jasmine Mendoza for comment.
