Routines can change fast, even for a dog who’s been on the same path for years. This golden retriever used to be all energy and a wagging tail, until one day, he walked no further.
His owner checked the leash, checked his mood, and checked everything. The route was the same as before, yet the dog would not continue past one landmark. He seemed stuck.
The North Carolina owner didn’t know what to do in this situation. I mean, what could have possibly happened to trigger this reaction?
When they finally figured out what he was reacting to, the answer made plenty of sense, and a little bit of sense for the dog, too.
Oh, So That’s What It Is
It was a second Halloween for this dog from North Carolina and Gus, the golden retriever has never been a huge fan of decorations.
He despises them, but tolerates them because he is a good boy. When he goes on walks with his owner, Liv, these are the main things he notices.
However, this year, something happened that made the dog pause. Liv wasn’t sure why her dog just suddenly stopped in the middle of the walk, but then she looked ahead and it became clear.
Someone put up an enormous werewolf statue in the middle of their yard for Halloween, and quite frankly, it did kind of look menacing.
I can see why Gus was scared of this statue. If I saw this in the dark, I too would be terrified. So, Gus refused to move from his spot.
Knowing that, Liv decided to just turn back and go take a walk somewhere else. They didn’t need to go through this route; it wasn’t that important.
Still, it shows how our dogs are not always capable of telling what is real and what is not. Sometimes, unfamiliar things can scare them and we have to be aware of that.
He Doesn’t Like Halloween
After it became apparent that Gus didn’t like Halloween, Liv thought it would be hilarious if she posted his reaction on her TikTok channel.
The comments on this funny clip were numerous, so we will go through some of the most interesting ones.
One person tried to imagine what the dog was thinking by saying: “How am I the only one with any survival instincts in this family.”
Yeah, it’s almost like the big statue of a werewolf would come alive at any moment and eat all of us. I’m with the dog on this one.
Another person said: “I hate to say it but you have to trust him when he does this and turn around, otherwise he won’t alert you when actual danger happens.”
To be honest, I never thought of it this way, but it’s solid advice. Dogs will keep alerting us to potential dangers so long as they know we will listen to them. Sometimes, a threat could be around the corner, but we wouldn’t see it unless they alerted us.
Lastly, somebody commented: “Cross the street and tell Gus he’s the best boy for keeping you safe… let him keep those instincts.”
Yeah, after alerting his owner to a potential danger, Gus deserves a delicious treat and a pat on the head to show him that he did a good job.
Still, dogs are very good at detecting danger even when we are not, so it’s best to trust their instincts. Sometimes, they will be false, like they were in this situation, but we should always strive to reinforce behavior like this because it might be important down the line.
That’s gonna be a no from Gus #goldenretriever #halloween #goldenretrieverlife
