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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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These days, dogs really do have a social life—whether it's attending a café with their owner, playing in a park or, in some cases, attending another canine's party.
In this case, Zebby, a golden retriever, appears to be on a mission to make it through the park with his beloved stick. The text layered over the clip says, "When you and your stick have places to be but this lady is in your way."
The cheeky canine then nudges his grandma with his super long stick, as if to say, move it along.
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This hilarious scene, shared on a TikTok account (@zebbythegolden) dedicated to the dog, has gathered more than 571,000 views in just 24 hours (as of February 19).
The clip, captioned "Sorry about that, ma'am, but me and my stick are very busy!!! PS: This is my grandma, so I'm allowed to nudge her with my stick because she loves me," has been a huge hit online, with many users speculating that the dog knows exactly what he is doing. Judging by his face, they might be right.
So far, the video has 81,800 likes and more than 120 comments.
"He SO did that on purpose! Look at his face—little comedian," said one user, while another wrote, "The way he looked at her like, 'Keep up, Grandma.'"
The owner commented, "He said, 'Let's get a lil pep in those steps—chop chop, woman.'"
Another user described his walk as "happy and proud," which is probably the case, as we all know that dogs love sticks.
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According to a 2021 study conducted by Kyoto University researchers in Japan, dogs chewing on sticks may be more than just fun. The slender piece of wood can serve as a useful tool—especially for puppies, who often chew on objects like sticks to soothe discomfort while teething, much like teething children are given hard objects to chew.
This behavior qualifies as tool use because dogs use an unattached object (a stick) to modify their own condition (relieving tooth pain or cleaning teeth) while holding and manipulating it with their paws.
Dogs often adjust the stick's position to target different teeth, seemingly prioritizing sensation over breaking the stick apart. Even in adult dogs, chewing may serve purposes beyond pain relief, such as maintaining oral health.
The act of chewing sticks may be comparable to scratching an itch, a behavior considered tool use in other species. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Newsweek reached out to @zebbythegolden for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.
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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