In a viral TikTok video, a dog owner revealed what her dog did after hearing them waking up at night, and internet users can’t cope with it.
The heartwarming clip shared in October under the username @lilmissmaple_ shows the king Charles cavalier from New York City, whose name is Maple, waking up with her owner, following her around despite being all disheveled and visibly sleepy.
“POV [point of view]: you get up in the middle of the night to go potty but your sleepy velcro dog has to come with you,” the caption says. “What’s taking you so long??”
Velcro dogs are clingy canines that love to spend their time in very close proximity to their owners, almost like velcro stripes stick to each other.
This can be a learned behavior, especially if you often reward them for being near you or if you paid them constant attention to them as puppies, during their developing years. It could also be a sign of illness or ageing, and often it can indicate stress and anxiety.
Some dogs are naturally clingy because that is just a common trait for their breed. For example, lapdogs, like Shih Tzus, tend be quite needy, as opposed to working dogs, who are trained to be dependent, though they can still become clingy.
According to Pet MD, clinginess can also be a sign of a bigger problem, known as separation anxiety, which may require the help of a veterinarian or dog behaviorist to address.
If you have a clingy dog, and you know for sure that they don’t suffer from separation anxiety, you can help them by increasing their exercise times, stimulating their minds with things like puzzle toys, and create a special place where they can chill instead of following you around.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 2.2 million views and 421,100 likes on the platform.
One user, Courtney, commented: “She can’t believe she had to take you out in the middle of the night.”
Keepinupwithwhit said: “You can tell she was sleeping good too, fur all messed up.”
CC’s Mom added: “I have one of those velcro things also.”
Newsweek reached out to @lilmissmaple_ for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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