A video of a dog’s seemingly protective behavior over her owner’s unborn baby has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @milperthuskyofficial and has had 12.1 million views since it was shared on January 29.
A message overlaid on the clip says: “Unborn baby kicks my husky in the head!” A caption shared with the clip says “Her reaction is priceless.”
The footage shows a husky resting her head on a woman’s pregnant belly. A hand is shown approaching the belly a few times as a voice says “Can I have a feel?” before the pup swats it away with her paw while she continues to block the belly with her head.
“She’s so protective” a voice says in the clip as the dog continues to lay her head over the woman’s belly before later allowing the hand to caress it.
The dog later appears wide-eyed as there seems to be some movement within the woman’s belly before the clip ends.
Can Dogs Tell That You’re Pregnant?
As touching as the pup’s reaction towards her owner and unborn baby may be, can dogs really sense that you’re pregnant?
While it’s difficult to know for sure, a dog may be able to pick up a woman’s change in hormone levels with its heightened sense of smell, which allows them to sniff out various conditions from cancer and seizures to stress, research has shown.
According to Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a staff veterinarian at New York City’s Animal Medical Center, canines have 60 times as many smell receptors as humans and 40 times as much brain power devoted to smell. This enables them to differentiate 30,000 to 100,000 scents, the veterinarian noted in a June 2021 article for the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Russ Hartstein, a certified behaviorist and dog trainer in Los Angeles, told the AKC: “Dogs are highly sensitive and intimate in studying behavior and subtle movements.”
This means they’ll notice something is different about a pregnant woman on a physical and behavioral level and respond accordingly.
Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Barrack, the owner of Animal Acupuncture in New York City, told the AKC that canines are smart enough to also pick up on changes “in an emotional way, such as your feelings and your mood,” during pregnancy.
Many expectant mothers reported that their dogs are more affectionate and/or protective, she noted, explaining that “it’s likely due to the scent and your hormones, as well as possible changes in your mood.”
iStock / Getty Images Plus
‘That’s THEIR baby’
The latest viral clip has melted the hearts of TikTok users.
User dianadobbelaarjan said “they know what’s going on, so sweet,” and Kimbo1975 simply wrote “Precious.”
Bettina said: “That’s so sweet, protecting the little one already.”
“That dog is going to be the best protector,” user @olderthandinopoo wrote, while @sh15249 said: “she is going to be a perfect big sister. she will protect her always.”
Kitsunefire7 wrote: “The dog keeping the dads hand away. that’s THEIR baby.”
Chabelita S. Chávez noted: “that’s how they become attached and supper protective my husky doesn’t like anyone near my babies.”
User @amieemcq said: “Omg this is the cutest and what a memory to show your child. They will be the best of friends.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. The video has not been independently verified.
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.