A pet owner who has taught her dog to use multiple speech buttons was devastated when her dog was pressing the buttons for help, despite being home alone.
When Sascha Crasnow, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, left the house to run errands, she had thought her dog, Parker, would be fine by herself for around an hour. If Parker ever needs anything, she will press one of her many speech buttons for assistance, which allows her to communicate exactly what she wants.
However, during the short time that Crasnow was out of the house, Parker could be seen on the home security footage pressing the buttons for “potty” and “help.” Crasnow told Newsweek that it “emotionally devastated” her to see Parker trying to communicate even when she knew she was by herself.
@puppyparkerposey
Crasnow said: “I had gone out to run a couple of errands. She had seemed fine when I left but she had an upset stomach. She can tell she’s going to throw up and so asks to go out using the ‘potty’ button, and then she looked at the front door before going to our back door which leads to the backyard.
“Since I wasn’t there and didn’t respond, she came back into the main room and lay down, eventually throwing up. Later on, she came in and pressed help because she still has an upset stomach, again I’m still not back and she ends up having diarrhea in the house.
“It broke my heart. She’s never left for long and had I known she wasn’t feeling well I wouldn’t have left to run these errands. I wished I had seen the presses, but I was driving and so didn’t. Otherwise, I would have rushed home immediately.”
So far, Parker, who is a beagle mix, can use an incredible 109 speech buttons. The meanings cover a variety of subjects and verbs, including commands for food, water, toys, going to the park, saying hello or goodbye, and even a button to say how tired she is.
Crasnow posted the heartbreaking video of Parker asking for help on her TikTok account (@puppyparkerposey) on July 26, and it’s already amassed over 1.1 million views, and more than 85,300 likes. While the video broke many other hearts online, Crasnow has received a mix of reactions from her followers.
“Some people were annoyed that I left her, not realizing that I wasn’t at work all day and this was just about an hour I was out to run an errand,” she told Newsweek.
“Other people have asked why I don’t have a doggy door or other ways for her to relieve herself in an emergency, but it’s not really practical in my one-bedroom apartment and this is the only time this has happened. It was a fluke thing that she was sick. In general, people have been super kind and asked if she is feeling better. She’s all better and back to her normal self now thankfully.”
The viral TikTok post has been inundated with more than 400 comments already, as many social media users were nearly brought to tears by Parker’s hopeless pleas for help.
One comment reads: “Her asking for help genuinely ruined my day, but I’m happy she feels better now.”
Another person wrote: “I wish we could tell them that if they really can’t hold it anymore it’s fine, and we won’t be mad.”
“I’d be rushing home,” joked another TikTok user.
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