Petrified pooch has an existential crisis when owner calls his name but he’s already there

Cute animal videos are a timeless source of joy, and TikTok is the perfect platform for all those dog, cat, and even pig moments that give us a serotonin boost. One ongoing trend on TikTok is the harmless prank of calling your dog’s name when they’re right beside you, just to watch their confused reaction. It’s a simple trick, but seeing a dog’s bewilderment never fails to bring a smile.

This trend has truly taken off, with thousands of videos showing dogs puzzled by their owners’ antics. While it’s all in good fun for us, the dogs, understandably, don’t always find it as amusing. One such dog, named Snoopy, got caught in the confusion and his reaction is hilarious—if not a little tragic. The Dachshund’s expression was a mix of utter disbelief and existential crisis, like he was questioning his entire existence. It almost looks like Snoopy was expecting his own body to show up next to him, reminiscent of something straight out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Poor Snoopy, maybe he thought his owner was losing it—or worse, that he was turning invisible.

Snoopy’s bewilderment definitely shows how dogs, while not as intellectually complex as humans, still experience moments of confusion and self-awareness. This trend might be a bit of a lighthearted form of “gaslighting,” but the pets involved certainly give us a glimpse into their reactions that are both amusing and thought-provoking.

This sort of confusion in animals brings to mind Bunny, the famous dog who learned to communicate by pressing buttons with pre-recorded words. Bunny was able to understand and communicate about 100 words, but with that intelligence came some big questions about existence, like “What does it mean to be a dog?” Maybe Snoopy will be having similar philosophical thoughts after being pranked.

While the psychology of dogs is still an area of research, studies show that dogs are at least somewhat self-aware. We may never know exactly what Snoopy was thinking, but it’s safe to say his world was momentarily turned upside down. Maybe he was just wondering if he had accidentally turned invisible—who knows!