The patience that so many pet owners harbor for their fur babies is far more astronomical than we tend to acknowledge. How deep must one’s love for a lifeform be that they’ll happily pick up its poop, tolerate its constant yelling at the mailman, and accept its habit of destroying furniture, clothes, and whatever else it can get its teeth on? Surely one wouldn’t put up with such behavior from even their closest friend, but pets? Bring it on.
But what if we factored in the possibility that our pets take smug joy in our ceaseless patience for their most destructive behaviors? Because the chocolate lab owned by TikTok‘s @drippzbhm6s just may have given that particular game away.
Look at him. Just look at the perfect sneer coating the face of that chocolate lab. What on Earth could he be so pleased with himself about? No sooner does that question pop into our heads during this eight-second video do we see the biblical mess of feathers and fabric currently devouring the hardwood floor of his human’s open-concept living space.
We can at once identify the chocolate lab’s smirk as proof that he knows how unconditional his owner’s love is. He could drain their bank account, set their house on fire, and poop in the shape of a middle finger emoji all over their laundry basket and he’ll still weasel his way to dog treats and belly scratches using those big, sweet, doggy eyes.
It’s only fair. If we’re going to deprive them of their natural instincts and further domesticate them with ridiculous outfits, then you’d best believe we have a responsibility to love them through their worst behaviors. And even then, there’s usually an underlying, completely valid reason why they would behave in such a way. According to Pendleton Veterinary Clinic, dogs may act destructively in order to communicate an illness, in response to an unwelcome change in their routine, or as a result of a lack of exercise or mental stimulation. When we’re bored, we go on social media, and when dogs get bored, a cushion is sacrificed; it’s just nature, people.
Whatever was the case for our hilariously self-satisfied canine friend here, the comments section was firmly team chocolate lab, because how can you not appreciate the grace he shows upon getting caught red-handed? Many lauded how proud of himself this pup seemed while others took it a step further and interpreted the look as, “You knew who I was when u met me.” Others still wondered if the glazed nonchalance coating his face was the result of an accidentally-consumed edible, but sure enough, he was simply high on the adrenaline that his spontaneous rage room afforded him.
And as we can all see from subsequent videos on @drippzbhm6s’s account, this chocolate lab is still enjoying all the love and attention that all the pups in the world are entitled to, just as his legendary smirk (which now serves as @drippzbhm6s’s profile picture on TikTok) foretold. You just keep on doing you, you fuzzy little king, for the finest love is oft measured in forgiveness.