Laughter at Dachshund’s ‘Deflated’ Reaction When Owner Stops Petting Her

A demanding dachshund has been entertaining the internet with her impassioned pleas for attention from her owner.

In a video posted to TikTok under the handle taylordoxies, a brown wiener dog by the name of Hershey can be seen curled up on a pillow enjoying a little petting from her human companion.

But the minute the woman takes her hand away, Hershey emits a noise that one viewer likened to the “sound of a balloon being deflated.”

The caption accompanying the clip reads: “Only one hand can be free around this dog at all times.” The video, which has been watched 7.4 million times and counting, can be seen here.

Though Hershey’s owner laments that her dog is a little more “needy” than most, the simple act of petting her dachshund on a regular basis might actually be doing everyone involved a world of good.

A 2022 literature review published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology concluded that interactions of this kind led to increases in oxytocin, the so-called “feel good” hormone linked to bonding.

It’s likely that Hershey is getting a similar benefit out of the interaction. A 2017 paper published in Frontiers in Psychology found that, based on a study of dog saliva and plasma before and after interactions with their owner, our canine companions enjoy a similar oxytocin boost.

Not that any of this will be of much comfort to Hershey’s owner in the short-term. After all, as much as it might be enjoyable to pet your dog all day, there are things to do.

She can at least take some solace from the fact it appeared, based on a selection of the comments underneath the clip, that other dog owners were facing exactly the same predicament with their clingy canines.

“My dog is so clingy he refuses to eat or drink unless I’m in the room,” one user wrote. “He’s an Australian cattle dog and thinks I need to be herded.” Another commented: “I have a full blooded border collie and she waits for me or follows me around. She’s the cutest.”

A third wrote: “OMG one of my Dachshund is this way too! Hands or feet need to be touching her at all times unless shes laying on you” while a fourth added: “My dachshund doesn’t whine, he just smacks me in the face until I start petting him again. I think he’s trying to show me what he wants

Others felt Hershey’s behavior was very on brand for a wiener dog. One user called the clip “the most dachshund thing ever” while another said: “Why are all dachshunds the same.”

Still, Hershey’s human didn’t appear to have it quite as bad as some of the fellow dachshund owners commenting on her video. “My dachshund doesn’t whine, he just smacks me in the face until I start petting him again,” one revealed. “I think he’s trying to show me what he wants.”

Even so, there was a lot of love among those commenting, whether it was for Hershey, dachshunds and needy dogs far and wide.

Newsweek reached out to taylordoxies for comment on TikTok.

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