Moment Dog Admits Why She Really Loves Owner Seen by 20 Million: 'Honest'

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A dog owner accused her pet of only using her to get snacks, and was shocked at the dog's hilarious response.
Erin Lynne Anderson, who posts to TikTok under the username @erinlynneandersonnn, is the owner of Australian shepherd Reya, who like many dogs, will use everything she has to beg for treats and snacks.
And recently, when Reya was pushing her face up against Anderson while she was eating, her owner had had enough.
In a video boasting more than 5 million likes, Anderson accuses her dog: "You don't even love me, you just want my snacks."
And right at that moment, Reya decides to smile brightly and nod her head up and down, as though understanding Anderson and completely agreeing.
The short video cuts off just as Anderson bursts out laughing. Since being posted on July 11, it's been viewed a whopping 23 million times.
One commenter declared this was "proof dogs can understand you," as another joked Reya was saying: "Yeah, now give it."
"It's the smile and wink together that gets me," another laughed, while one joked: "Good, I'm glad we're on the same page."
And as one user put it: "At least she's honest."
Dozens of commenters compared Reya's white face, pink nose and fluffy ears to the dragon Falkor of The Neverending Story, with one comment saying she looked just like the character, racking up 16,000 likes of its own.
The video does make it seem like Reya completely heard and understood Anderson's accusation. But as unlikely as this would already be, Reya is deaf, and unless she picked up incredibly lip-reading skills, it's likely it was just a brilliantly coincidental moment caught on camera.
However, as one commenter suggested "your dog may not be deaf after all," Anderson responded, admitting: "Sometimes I think she's been messing with me for the past three years and she just ignores me."
Reeya appearing to smile and nod when her owner accuses her of only using her for snacks.
Reeya appearing to smile and nod when her owner accuses her of only using her for snacks.
TikTok @erinlynneandersonnn
Dogs and language is a topic long studied by researchers: in a 2024 study by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, using non-invasive brain scans, it was found that dogs activate a memory of an object when they hear their name.
The study involved 18 dog owners saying words they knew their dog understood, sometimes showing their dog a matching toy while saying its name, and sometimes showing a completely different toy.
Researchers found that the dogs' brain recordings gave different patterns when they were presented with an object that matched the word, suggesting dogs can associate words with certain objects.
Newsweek has contacted @erinlynneandersonnn via TikTok for comment on this story.
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