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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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A video of an adorable golden retriever fighting with its own reflection has melted hearts and won a lot of likes on TikTok.
In the video, the adorable pup can be seen lying in front of a mirror with a stuffed toy, bearing its teeth at its reflection as though it believes it to be another puppy trying to steal it. Toward the end of the video, the puppy alarms itself with a "surprised nose boop."
One user commented: "When the dog in the mirror tries to steal your toy," while another wrote: "THIS IS WHY I LOVE TIKTOK."
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Whether animals can experience self-awareness has been a topic debated by animal lovers for decades. Self-awareness is defined by Merriam Webster as "an awareness of one's own personality or individuality," and to realize that you are separate from others around you.
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An experiment known as the mirror test was developed in the 1970s to ascertain whether animals can recognize themselves by American psychologist Gordon Gallup, Jr.
To conduct the test, scientists secretly marked the animals on the face with a harmless, odorless red dye, then placed them in front of a mirror. If they understand they are looking at themselves they might try and turn their body to better see the mark, or remove it. That would indicate self-recognition, and possibly self-awareness.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) only a few species of animal have passed the test over the years, and dogs aren't one of them. It says: "Your dog's early encounters with a mirror may have made him fearful or curious about the other dog in the room. This lack of understanding seems surprising, considering the other complex mental and social skills dogs have been shown to possess."
The AKC also references another study conducted by Alexandra Horowitz, a researcher from Barnard College in the journal Behavioural Sciences. Using a sniff test developed by Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, a researcher at Tomsk State University, Russia, she found that dogs are less interested in their own odor, and more interested in unfamiliar smells, suggesting that there is an element of self-awareness through smell, rather than sight, their weaker sense.
Users on TikTok loved the video, with one user commented: "Honestly one of the cutest videos I've seen on here!" while another said: "My golden discovered his reflection a few weeks ago. He did not handle it well."
Newsweek has reached out to @goldenkonabear via TikTok for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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