The internet has been having a debate after footage went viral of a man choosing to carry his dog instead of his young son.
A TikTok user called Luz Elena captured the unusual moment on camera after spotting the family walking down the road while driving by in her car.
The man was seen carrying a large dog in one arm while his young son walked next to them, holding onto his hand and a woman walked behind them with a stroller with a large box in the seat instead of the child.
She captioned the clip: “When your priority is your dog, not the child.”
The clip soon racked up over 4.7 million views and almost 500,000 likes on the app, as well as racking up reams of comments.
While some questioned why the father was carrying their pet rather than their son, most understood that there was actually a good reason behind it.
One wrote: “That’s how it should be!”, while another commented: “Good dad. Giving his son good clean exercise, even holding his hand, while also keeping his dog safe.”
Another pointed out: “No one mentioned the mom in the back with the push trike. The kid is walking because mom put something in the trike. Maybe dog is sick?”
Others added: “Good call from dad. the kid has shoes on, dogs paws can’t get burned now”, “Maybe the ground is hot and he doesn’t want his pups feet getting burned,” and “This is actually super sweet. The pavement is probably way to hot for the dogs paws so he is carrying him.”
Credit: TikTok
Credit: TikTok
While most knew that the pavement was probably too hot for the dog’s paws, others speculated that there may be another issue meaning it needed to be carried, such as an injury or illness, its lead having broken or it having anxiety issues around people or cars.
Although dogs still need exercise even in hot weather, the RSPCA suggests walking dogs early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler and pavements aren’t as hot as they are in the middle of the day.
Dogs can suffer from burnt paw pads if they are walked when the pavements are too hot, and owners can test to see if the floor is too scorching by resting their hand on it for five seconds – if it is too hot to keep your hand pressed on the pavement for five seconds straight, it is too hot for your dog’s feet too.
While dog shoes are available to protect their feet, walking your canine pal in high heat can also easily lead to dehydration or sunstroke, so it’s best to avoid taking them out in peak temperatures.
This dog owner definitely seemed wise to the fact they should be protecting their pup’s paws, while their son appeared happy enough to walk along safely holding hands instead.
