For most dogs, the sound of food sizzling in the kitchen is an irresistible invitation. But for Bonzai, a four-year-old Australian shepherd, the reaction is quite different.
Bonzai’s owner, Peyton Flowers Dunn, 30, from Tampa, Florida, said the unusual behavior traces back to one morning three years ago when her husband, Ben, set off the fire alarm while cooking breakfast.
“Bonzai was almost one-year-old the first time he experienced the blaring fire alarm thanks to his dad’s cooking,” Dunn told Newsweek. “His dad was kindly making me bacon as a birthday morning surprise. Much to my dismay (and Bonzai’s), I awoke to the sound of shrill beeping. Bonzai ran under the coffee table—his favorite place of comfort—and I flew out of bed to make sure everything was okay.”
Since then, Bonzai has developed a routine, hiding every time someone is cooking in the kitchen.
“Ever since, Bonzai has chosen a place of safety instead of the kitchen as soon as the stovetop is turned on,” Dunn said. “And believe me, when we are in the kitchen he likes to be in the kitchen—especially if he hears the cheese drawer.”
Viral Reaction
Laughing at Bonzai’s unusual quirk, Dunn shared the video on Instagram where it now has more than 570,000 views.
The caption said: “POV: your dog runs and hides every time you cook because you set off the fire alarm one time three years ago.”
The lighthearted clip struck a chord with thousands of pet owners, who filled the comments with their own pet stories.
“They never forget, or let you forget,” laughed one commenter.
Another wrote: “He’s so traumatized.”
One dog owner even shared her own pet quirk story. “It’s a little different, but our Eowyn hides as soon as we open the cabinet with the toaster. She is afraid when the toast pops up,” said the Instagram user.
“Our comments are full of people sharing the strange things their pets won’t forget,” Dunn said. “There’s the dog that checks the same bush every walk because it once had a slice of pizza under it, or the cat that bolts anytime the ice machine is used after being hit on the head by falling ice.”
Dunn loves sharing Bonzai’s antics online, and was delighted by how many people enjoyed the video.
“I shared this online to show a small ‘slice of life,’” she said. “I’ve found that social media can be so tense and divisive, but dog videos unite and make people smile. Before I was able to have a dog, I lived vicariously through dog videos and grew attached to some pets of Instagram. Now, I hope I can create videos that make people happy.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.