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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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A dog owner has responded to online accusations that her climbing dog is the product of artificial intelligence.
Vanessa (@noseynola) went viral after sharing footage of her dog, Nola, scaling the fence in their yard with the ease of a seasoned climber. She told Newsweek that while she understood the skepticism, her videos are not AI-generated. The video of her rebutting the claims racked up 284,100 likes and 2.5 million views.
“A lot of Nola’s recent videos have been getting comments from people who don’t follow her and assume the climbs are fake or AI-generated,” she told Newsweek. “Honestly, I get why—AI content is everywhere now, and even I’ve been fooled by realistic AI videos before. But for anyone who’s new to her page, I always encourage them to look back at her TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. Her climbs have been documented for years, long before the current AI boom.”
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Vanessa said Nola’s unusual abilities didn’t appear overnight. When the hound mix was younger, their dog sitter first noticed that she was attempting to jump a small fence.
After the family moved, the escapes continued—until a neighbor revealed he’d watched Nola clear their taller, chain-link fence.
Even then, Vanessa said it wasn’t until she spotted Nola seemingly leaping from a tree that she realized something far stranger was happening. Waiting outside one day, she finally caught the dog climbing the fence and using a nearby tree “like a ladder.” Later, when a new fence gave Nola access to a second tree, she simply added it to her climbing circuit.
Although the athleticism astonishes viewers, Vanessa said it lines up with Nola’s genetics. After strangers insisted she must be a Treeing Walker Coonhound, a DNA test confirmed the breed made up 26 percent of Nola’s mix. Their vet wasn’t surprised by the footage either, telling them the behavior was typical of hounds built for navigating vertical terrain.
Vanessa also shared how Nola came into their lives. She explained that Nola had been rescued from a kill shelter in North Carolina and transferred to North Country Pet Adoption Services in New York in 2018. Staff told the couple they urgently needed fosters for puppies, despite the couple initially planning to take in a senior dog.
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Nola—then named Janie—had been overlooked, likely because she was blind in one eye. The family began fostering her at six months old and adopted her three months later.
Now almost eight, Nola is known for her energy, independence, and curiosity. Vanessa said the dog spends hours outside in any weather, monitoring squirrels, patrolling the yard, and looking for new routes along the fence—earning her the nickname “Nosey Nola.”
Inside, she piles shoes, toys, and leashes on her dog bed for comfort. She also enjoys joining her family for outings, holidays, and adventures.
She directs followers to years of archived climbing videos, saying the consistency quickly dispels doubts.
The comments on her viral clips range from disbelief to admiration.
“A cat’s worst nightmare,” one TikToker joked.
“PARKOUR,” wrote another.
One commenter defended the dog’s authenticity, adding: “Would AI know to use the back paw for stability? I don't think so.”
A neighbor chimed in too: “I live next door, and I promise this is all real. Nola has the best parents too.” And, as one person put it: “God forbid a girl have a hobby.”
Vanessa hopes Nola’s story underscores the value of adopting from shelters—particularly from those that euthanize due to overcrowding.
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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