Whether we’ve been gone for five hours or five minutes, our pets are sure to give us the warmest welcome any time we come back home. But Rooney the boxer has a slightly more unusual way of greeting her owner; think less barking, more dancing.
Whenever Britt Cole, 24, walks through the door to see her family’s 1-year-old pup, the boxer can’t wait to show her excitement, but she doesn’t just settle for a regular tail wag or smiley face. Rather than keeping her celebrations understated, Rooney’s preferred greeting is a full-on body wiggle as she shakes her whole body with love.
There is no denying how happy Rooney gets whenever she sees Cole, from Pennsylvania, return. It’s not a new thing, however. Cole told Newsweek that “she’s always done these wiggles,” and they never fail to put a smile on her face.
Cole loves capturing Rooney’s hilarious welcome dances, and she often shares them on TikTok (@rooneytheboxer). In one recent clip, she shared the “calmest greeting” she received from the pup when she had only just woken up, but that wasn’t going to stop her wiggling.
@rooneytheboxer / TikTok
“If she’s not napping, then she will always dance and jump around when she’s greeting us,” Cole said.
“In this particular video, I was stopping in on Rooney’s first birthday and it seemed like she just got up from a nap, which is why her wiggles were less intense. But boxers will greet you like that even if you’re gone for 10 minutes,” Cole added.
The videos of Rooney’s body wiggles are always met with joy, and the recent post was certainly no different. Since being posted on April 6, the clip has already been viewed more than 466,000 times and gained over 53,400 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
As a breed, boxers are known for having plenty of character, which is why the American Kennel Club (AKC) says they’re one of the most-popular dogs in the country. They are loyal, intelligent, and affectionate, but don’t be fooled because they’re also incredibly silly and playful at times, too.
The AKC adds that boxers were named after the athlete because of their graceful nature and smooth movements, and there’s no denying that Rooney puts that on show every time she wiggles.
Sadly for Cole, a family tragedy in 2023 has meant that she doesn’t get to see Rooney as often as she would like, but the pup absolutely makes up for it every single time they are reunited.
“Rooney has had to go back and forth between my mom’s house and my grandma’s house since August. My mom has been my grandma’s caretaker since my grandpa passed away. So, there could be days in between where I don’t see Roo at all, hence why I always record her greetings,” Cole told Newsweek.
She has loved seeing the positive social-media response on TikTok, as she says that the videos of Rooney’s dance moves “are her most popular” posts without fail. Cole has even succeeded in connecting with other boxer-dog owners who joke that theirs “act the same” and have similar ways of saying hello to people.
“It’s always fun to share them and hear how much people enjoy boxers. Our family has had five boxers across three generations, and I would have to agree that they’re one of the goofiest, most loving breeds.”
With over 250 comments on the viral TikTok post already, many social-media users have lauded Rooney’s hilarious greetings. One comment reads: “The boxer wiggles are LIFE!”
Another TikTok user responded: “the hi matched the wiggle.”
A third person joked: “I swear boxers are the only breed where I believe in tail docking. They’d literally wag it off.”
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.