A dog called Hugo has melted hearts all over the internet after a video of him finding a “treasure” during one of his daily walks went viral on social media earlier this week.
In the viral clip, shared on TikTok on Tuesday by the dog’s owner, under the username Hugotheshark, the cocker spaniel can be seen walking past a yard sale and immediately choosing a stuffed koala bear toy which he refused to let go of for the entire day.
The heartwarming video comes with a caption that says: “In Denmark, people sell things by putting them out on the street, and some local kids were selling their toys as we were walking past. Hugo fell in love with a koala bear. The sign said the toys were 10kr ($1,24), and there was a mobile number so I sent them the money.
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“He was so pleased with himself and carried it all the way home. He couldn’t actually believe that he was allowed to keep it.”
The video ends with Hugo taking the koala to bed and is captioned: “He thinks he found treasure on his walk – he has no idea I bought it.”
According to pet wellness experts at Wag!, there are many reasons why dogs like to play with stuffed toys. It could be because of their instinct to hunt and kill pray, which has been carried on from their ancestors, wolves. It could be that they carry toys around as a sign that they want to play with you. And for female dogs, it could also be one of the first signs of a false pregnancy.
The video quickly gained popularity on TikTok, attracting animal lovers from across the platform. It has so far received over 2.5 million views and 492,000 likes.
One user, Marshall Lee King, commented: “I bet those kids would’ve been happy to know who got their koala.” And Tab and Nigel said: “Imagine living somewhere that you can just leave stuff outside and people will send you the money.”
Francesca Johnson wrote: “My cocker spaniel Buddy would randomly become attached to one particular toy, we call them his babies.” And stuckinthemiddlenomore added: “It’s so amazing that there are places in this world where people can trust others enough to just leave sale items unattended. Crying in American.” BrenW said: “He found a lil treasure on his walk and he’s so proud.”
Another user, Olivia, commented: “The puppy eyes when you try take the koala.” And Ashley Cortes said: “Awww he even fell asleep while cuddling the koala.” Lex added: “My dog also has a koala he loves dearly. he’s ripped the eyes and nose off though so I think I’m gonna have to embroider some on lol.”
Newsweek reached out to Hugotheshark for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
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