Forgetful Dog's Reaction to Thinking He's an 'Orphan' Has Internet Howling

Internet users have been left in stitches after a woman shared her dog's hilarious reaction every time he thinks she's left him alone.

TikTok user @bigwendyyy posted the video of her dog, Bear, running outside and erupting into a screeching cry as he thinks she's left him yet again. Written across the video, the caption reads: "Every morning he forgets where the door is and then cries when he thinks he's an orphan."

Despite trying to call out to Bear from a few feet away to console him, his owner doesn't get his attention because of his loud crying. Bear runs back and forth as he thinks he's been abandoned by his owner once more.

A study, conducted in 2020 in Finland, tested 13,700 dogs, observing different anxiety traits across 264 breeds. The researchers were looking at what can induce fear or stress in dogs. The results found that 72 percent showed some sort of problematic behavior, ranging from fear, noise sensitivity, inattention and aggression.

The most-common anxiety trait was noise sensitivity, prevalent in 32 percent of the dogs tested. Separation anxiety, like Bear's, was a far less common trait, appearing in just 5 percent of the animals across the study.

Many TikTok users have enjoyed Bear's dramatic reaction in the video, with 49.7 million views since the clip was posted on February 6. However, there are ways of helping an anxious dog cope with being left alone.

Dog trainer and animal-behavior expert, Tim Scrine of Allbreeds in Perth, Australia, told Newsweek that owners can help their anxious dog learn that being left alone is totally fine. They can also manage their pets' behavioral problems.

Scrine said: "When our dogs bark or howl, they are signaling that something is happening and trying to get our attention. If a dog is howling when left alone, it is trying to get us to pay attention to it. A dog with separation anxiety sees us leaving as a problem and wants us to pay attention, and fix it by coming back.

"The worst thing you can do is go back and comfort your dog when it barks or howls when you leave. This sends the dog a message that this behavior will fix the perceived problem," Scrine added.

"Instead of doing this, you can try to keep the dog calm while you are gone. Crate training can be helpful for anxious dogs if done correctly, and can give your dog a space where it feels secure.

"Other things include leaving items with your scent on them or giving your dog a stimulating toy, like a lick mat, to distract it while you're gone," Scrine said.

As the training process can take time, it's important to be patient. Scrine said that it can help to leave the dog regularly for short periods of time, which will desensitize them to the experience.

Hopefully, Bear's owner will be able to help him become more comfortable by himself, without resorting to his dramatic cries for help.

Thankfully, with more than 9.6 million likes on the video, many TikTok users support Bear's agonizing theatrics. One user commented on the video: "He looked at you and still walked away."

Other people enjoyed the dog's melodrama, with another person writing: "He's screaming, he's like I'm never gonna find her again."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.