A dog who leaped "Scooby Doo" style into his owner's arms after being "chased" by a pup half his size has melted hearts across the internet.

Black Labrador Dexter lives in England, U.K. with his owner India, and has become quite a social media star as India regularly shares life with the hound on her Instagram page @shnootle.hound.

A recent video showing Dexter completely losing his nerve against tiny pug, Belle, has gone viral since being shared on May 25.

In the clip, India holds the large retriever in her arms as he's clearly terrified of something. The camera then pans to the tiny black pug on the ground, who gives a short bark, and Dexter immediately hides his face in India's shoulder.

India told Newsweek: "We always call that the Scooby Don't, when he jumps up like that. Because he jumps up into your arms like, 'Oh God, that is so scary!'"

She described Dexter as "a big softy", adding, "I don't think he'd ever seen a pug before, and they were such friendly little pugs."

"He loves other dogs, he loves kids and he comes everywhere with me and brightens everyone's day. If I come into work without him everyone in my office is like, 'Where's Dexter?' He really does bring so much joy to everyone around him," she said.

Labrador retrievers are among the most popular pets, coming in at number two in the American Kennel Club's (AKC) 2023 list of most popular dog breeds.

Described as friendly, outgoing and high-spirited, in 2021, Labradors were overtaken as the most popular breed in America by the French Bulldog, after a whopping 31 years in the top spot.

Dexter's dramatic reaction to the pug barking at him saw millions more fall in love with him, with his video raking up close to 2 million likes and thousands of comments, including one who wrote it was an "utter heart melt."

"It's always the little one with the big mouth and attitude," another joked, with a third user writing: "he just wanted a hug off his mum." One jokingly described the tiny pug as a "bully."

Another user wrote aptly: "Emotional support human."

However, marketing manager India told Newsweek that Belle died unexpectedly sometime after the video was taken, having succumbed quickly to a stomach cancer diagnosis.

But, she said, "the fact the video has gone so crazy and got so much love is I think a bit of comfort" to Belle's family.

"It blew up so quickly, it's a bit of a whirlwind really. But it brings so much joy to so many people and it feels like a real privilege to be able to offer that," she said.

"It's a little insight into our day-to-day and I think it's so funny how so many people seem to align with it and seem to really enjoy our stuff."

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.