A dog owner decided to test how alert her Newfoundland was during an evening walk by dropping his leash, but she wasn’t expecting his adorable, panicked reaction.
Shannen Salter knows how distracted her three-year-old Newfoundland gets at times, and she told Newsweek that Hunter is “in a world of his own” when they go out for walks. So, on this occasion she wanted to find out how long it would take Hunter to notice that she was no longer holding his leash.
In the moments after Salter let go of his leash, the docile dog turned to look behind him to see what the noise was, before eventually realizing it was his own leash dragging on the ground. Unsure what his reaction would be, Salter couldn’t believe Hunter’s “little panic” when he realized there was no one holding the other end.
@hunterthenewfoundland
“I decided to drop the lead to see if he would even notice,” she explained. “Once he heard something drop behind him, he gave a quick little look and then realized it was his lead.
“He seemed to have a little panic as to where his human went from the other side of the lead. After a quick two second panic, with me still right in front of him in plain sight, he realized I was still there. He decided to forget about the lead and continue his evening stroll right behind me.”
The Newfoundland is one of the largest dog breeds in the world, with a male reaching a height of 28 inches and weighing up to 150 pounds. Though they are bulky, Newfoundlands also have a loving and gentle nature, making them very trusting and trainable.
When it comes to their daily exercise, Newfoundlands will need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day to expend their youthful energy and keep them healthy. So, it’s a good thing Hunter is happy to be out with his owner, even if she isn’t holding onto his leash all the time.
After Salter shared the video of Hunter’s reaction to walking by himself on TikTok (@hunterthenewfoundland), it has generated over 289,000 views and more than 17,000 likes in just a matter of days.
She didn’t anticipate getting such a reaction from the video, but she’s incredibly pleased that Hunter’s silliness can bring joy to so many people.
“People have been commenting to say how much they enjoyed the video, and I’m so glad they found it as amusing as we did,” she continued. “Newfoundlands aren’t the brightest, but they are definitely loyal dogs.”
Salter joked in the TikTok caption that there’s: “Not a single brain cell” in Hunter’s head judging by his very slow realization at what was happening on the walk.
But plenty of TikTokers loved seeing Hunter’s slow realization caught on camera, and many people have praised his loyalty to stay by Salter’s side despite being off the leash.
One person wrote: “Casually tamed a bear,” while another comment reads: “You got one of them wireless dogs.”
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