Everyone knows that the last thing any dog wants to do is spend the day alone while their humans are at work. And who can blame them! I would much prefer to spend eight straight hours cuddling and playing with my furbaby.
But, as responsible pet owners, we gotta do what we gotta do in order to provide for our four-legged friends!
However, one clever pooch from Utah thought he'd try his hand at changing the human/dog game — and he almost got away with it, too.
It all started when Kennady Longhurst spent one of her lunches at home with her furbaby, Sullivan.
When she went to leave, the dog began making an unusual coughing sound.
Concerned, Kennady called her husband, Alex, and he decided to come home early so she could return to work.
Not along after, Sullivan's cough magically disappeared and the couple chalked it up as an isolated incident that they didn't need to worry about.
However, the very next day, when it was becoming evident that his humans were once again heading off to work, Sullivan's coughing fit started again.
So, Alex stayed home with him, but this time, he decided to book an appointment with the vet to get to the bottom of things.
A few tests and $85.00 later didn't confirm an illness, but in fact a case of liar, liar pants on fire!
Thinking there's no way a dog could be that deceitful, Alex and Kennady brought Sullivan to a few more vets — but they came back with the same diagnosis each time.
"Almost all of them said he could be acting sick in the mornings or when we leave him because he knows if he acts different or sick we pay more attention to him and stay with him," Kennady told The Dodo.
And according to Dr. Jill Sackman, head of the Behavior Medicine Service at BluePearl Veterinary Partners, this isn't something that's uncommon.
"Dogs certainly can learn that certain behaviors result in things that are good — such as a cough or a sneeze results in owner attention. I wouldn't say that this is faking it... but rather they are so clever that they realize that the behavior results in a reward."
Thankfully, Sullivan seems to have pumped the brakes on his little scheme, and Kennady believes the multiple vet visits may have had something to do with that.
"I’m actually not surprised at all that he could pull this off. He has been an insanely smart dog since we got him when he was a puppy. He learned and picked up on stuff really fast. He’s a really great dog."
Have you ever been tricked by your dog? Let us know in the COMMENTSand then SHAREthis adorable story with others!
0 comments: