The internet has found itself embroiled in a debate after a video went viral showing a father choosing to carry his dog instead of his young son, sparking discussions about priorities and safety.
The incident was captured on TikTok by a user named Luz Elena, who filmed the peculiar moment while driving past the family.
In the video, the man can be seen carrying a large dog in one arm, while his son walks beside him, holding his hand. Following behind them is a woman pushing a stroller, which surprisingly contains a large box rather than the child. Luz Elena captioned the clip with the statement, “When your priority is your dog, not the child.”
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The video quickly gained immense popularity, amassing over 4.7 million views and nearly 500,000 likes on the platform, accompanied by a flurry of comments expressing various viewpoints.
While some viewers questioned the father’s decision to carry the pet instead of his son, most acknowledged that there might be a valid reason behind it. One commenter wrote, “That’s how it should be!” Another chimed in, “Good dad. Giving his son good clean exercise, even holding his hand, while also keeping his dog safe.”
Another observant viewer 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 the dog is sick?”
Several others shared their perspectives, suggesting reasons why the father opted to carry the dog. Some commented, “Good call from dad. The kid has shoes on, dogs’ paws can’t get burned now,” or “Maybe the ground is hot, and he doesn’t want his pup’s feet to get burned,” and “This is actually super sweet. The pavement is probably way too hot for the dog’s paws, so he is carrying him.” While most people assumed that the pavement was scorching hot, potentially harmful to the dog’s paws, others speculated on additional factors such as injury, illness, a broken lead, or anxiety issues around people or cars.
In hot weather, it’s essential to provide dogs with exercise, but the RSPCA recommends taking them out early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler and pavements are not scalding. Dogs can suffer from burned paw pads if they walk on excessively hot pavements. Pet owners can test the pavement’s temperature by placing their hand on it for five seconds. If it’s too hot to keep the hand pressed down for that duration, it is also too hot for a dog’s paws. Signs of burnt paw pads include limping or reluctance to walk, excessive licking or chewing of the feet, blistering, redness, darkening of the paw pad, or even missing parts.
Although dog shoes can protect their feet, walking dogs in high heat can easily lead to dehydration or sunstroke, so it’s advisable to avoid taking them out during peak temperatures.
What do you think about the viral video?
