When a woman brought home her newly-adopted dog, nothing could have prepared her for what he immediately bonded with.
Shawna from New Hampshire, took to TikTok, posting under the handle @instashawna to offer a glimpse of her Alaskan Malamute rescue, Falkor, snuggling up to something unusual.
From the moment she brought Falkor home, Shawna could tell he was different. “We got him from someone who said they were looking to downsize their pack because he was two and they expected him to be larger for breeding,” Shawna told Newsweek.
“We were a bit misled about what his life was like. He has never lived inside a house, isn’t potty trained, doesn’t know his name, any commands, he’s very skittish, and our vet said that he has evidence he had a shock collar that went off if he barked above a certain decibel because he has no bark really.”
Given the difficulties Falkor had faced, Shawna knew it would take time for him to adjust to domestic life. Part of that process involved gradually phasing him into living in the home. “We’ve slowly expanded his access to the home over the last few weeks as he gets more settled in and learns his house manners,” she said. “The oven fixation began then.”
As the video shows, for reasons Shawna is not entirely sure of, Falkor has developed a unique attachment to the oven in their kitchen. His nights are often spent nuzzled up to what Shawna describes as Falkor’s “emotional support oven.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s on or off or if we’re in the kitchen or not, he just really likes to be by it,” she said. “Sometimes he tries to jump up and open it but only when it’s off so we don’t think it’s food motivated because we don’t feed the dogs in there anyway.”
The footage showcasing Falkor’s unique bond with the oven went viral on TikTok, amassing over 650,000 views. One user even revealed going through something similar with their malamute. “He had never been in the house, the first two years of his life. He was 50 pounds underweight,” they wrote. “He didn’t take an emotional support oven, but he has emotional support food. He’ll raid the pantry and carry something around for weeks.”
Recent research from the University of Denver’s Institute for Human–Animal Connection suggests dogs experience mutual stress reduction during positive interactions with humans.
Up until now, however, it doesn’t sound like Falkor has had much of an opportunity to bond with a human. Given the warmth and light an oven generates, it may be the case that this particular appliance is serving as a stand-in. In time, Falkor may turn increasingly to Shawna for that comfort and she will be ready to provide it when he does.
Falkor is progressing well in the house, though with the green shoots of those bonds already clear to see. “He loves to follow our other malamute around and our Aussie grooms him like a puppy. He’s very affectionate and sweet,” Shawna said. “Still working on potty training manners but otherwise he’s very happy and loved!”