A pair of huskies became convinced they had spotted a rabbit during a trip to the park with their owner.
However, as a video shared to TikTok by the acccount siberianderpskies explained, what the dogs thought was a “bunny” was in fact something altogether different: a bag of dog poo.
Dogs are, generally speaking, an intelligent species. Stanley Coren, a psychologist and canine researcher, estimates that dogs possess mental capabilities that are close to being on a par with those of a child around the age of 2. However, Coren stresses that there are several varieties of canine intelligence that differ from breed to breed.
He told the American Psychological Association that there are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of school learning).
What unfolds in the TikTok clip may well fall under the category of “instinctive.” Huskies are, after all, hunters in their natural environment, and if they see something they suspect is a bunny (i.e., food) they are going to keep a close eye on it.
In the video, the two dogs appear motionless, transfixed by what they think is a rabbit, much to the amusement of their owner filming the video. “Both these huskies think that bag of poop is a bunny,” he is heard saying.
“Do you wanna go investigate, huskies?” the man asks, evidently happy to humor his canine companions. They proceed to go over to the bag, with the husky owner bemused at the way they are “stalking this bag of poop.”
They eventually reach the bag, giving it a good sniff before immediately losing interest. “Yep,” their owner says. “Not a bunny.”
Larysa Shcherbyna/Getty
The trio then head off, with the man still laughing over the incident. “I love you, huskies,” he tells them as they beat a hasty retreat away from their “bunny” friend. He adds that incidents like this are why he named the TikTok account “Siberian Derpskies.”
The hilarity of the situation was not lost of those watching the video.
“To be fair, *I* thought it was a bunny,” one commenter said.
“I love how they both went up to it so intrigued and then saw it and casually walked away,” a second user commented. A third added: “They lost interest so fast once they realized what it was.”
Others sought to reassure the man that, as husky owners themselves, this sort of behavior is pretty common.
“My husky/shepherd girlie is always INSISTING inanimate objects are prey,” one wrote. Another added: “My husky growing up couldn’t understand two concepts: screen doors and algae on water is not grass and you can not walk on it.”
Plenty of others claimed they would have made the same mistake, though. In fact, some thought it was another animal. “I thought it was a duck,” one said, while another commented: “To be fair I thought it was a bird.”
Maybe those huskies aren’t so derpy after all.
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.