Watch as Dog Defies Physics to Squeeze Through Cat Flap: ‘Contortionist’

A rescue dog has been caught on camera seemingly defying the laws of physics in order to reach a bowl of cat food.

Charlie Pebbles was branded a “contortionist” by his owner, Mia Piazza, from Louisiana after she shared footage of him somehow squeezing his entire body through a tiny door designed for her cat.

It’s an extraordinary effort, but then again, from the moment Piazza adopted him from a local animal shelter in 2017, it’s been clear to her that Charlie Peddles is no ordinary dog.

“We thought that he was the most adorable dog because he looked like a Labrador, but he had the shortest legs,” Piazza told Newsweek. “We had a DNA test on him, and it came back that he is 20 percent Rottweiler, 15 percent golden retriever, 14 percent Labrador retriever, 12 percent beagle, 10 percent Pekingese, 9 percent Australian cattle dog, 8 percent Catahoula leopard dog, and then 9 percent super mutt (wolf).”

That unique mix of breeds has added up to one very special dog. “He is very sassy but gentle and fun to play with. He learns quickly and is extremely smart,” Piazza said. “He loves to roam around and once got reported on the neighborhood watch website because he roamed into the neighbors’ yard and ate their cat food.”

There are few things in life more comforting to a dog than food. In fact, one study by researchers from the University of Florida found nine out of 10 dogs favor something edible over their favorite toy.

However, Charlie’s love of all things edible was getting out of hand. “The reason why we installed the cat doors is because Charlie would sneak into the laundry room, where we keep the cat food, and he would eat it,” Piazza told Newsweek. “He is allowed in the laundry room as long as there is someone watching him to make sure he doesn’t eat anything.”

The cat door was supposed to give Charlie’s feline sibling a simple way of accessing their food in a safe space away from the prying paws of their doggy roommate. However, Charlie, like many a dog before him, made short work of such obstacles— much to the amazement of his owner.

“We were shocked when we saw that Charlie was able to squeeze through the door because the door was so small,” Piazza said.

Since the video was filmed, Piazza has been able to come up with an alternative method to keep Charlie away from the cat’s food. She fitted “French doors” to the cat flap, thus reducing the size of the entrance further and preventing even Charlie, at his contortionist best, from finding a way through.

“Charlie Pebbles doesn’t use it anymore because of the French doors,” Piazza said. “The cats LOVE it though.”

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