Owner Realizes Dog Loves Watching TVâWith One Baffling Exception
The internet has been left in stitches over a TV-loving dog who has a vendetta against one particular commercial.
Piper the border collie mix lives in Minnesota with her owner, Alec DeWitt, who adopted her from a local rescue five years ago. And quickly, he realized he had a special dog on his hands.
"She loves watching TV, so much that when I grab the remote she freaks out and gets excited," DeWitt, 29, told Newsweek. "She even knows the word 'TV.'"
But there's one thing Piper certainly doesn't love: "For some reason, she hates the Liberty Mutual commercial, and specifically that commercial only."
A video proving Piper's problem with the commercial for an insurance company was recently shared to DeWitt's TikTok account, @purely_piper, which has racked up over a million views since being shared on December 8.
The sped-up clip shows Piper looking on with interest at multiple commercials, from Target to a trailer for an upcoming film, flashing past, barely blinking as she watches the screen.
Piper then loses interest in the TV and walks up to her owner who is filming her—but then her ears prick up and she turns back, ready for a fight.
Because the Liberty Mutual commercial has just started, and Piper has an immediate reaction.
She rushes to the TV and begins barking furiously, then picks up a toy and thrashes it around in her mouth, taking out her frustration on the stuffie—and her tantrum lasts through the entire ad.
DeWitt told Newsweek it doesn't matter whether Piper is actively watching TV when the commercial comes on, she'll have the same reaction regardless.
"If I am watching TV in another part of my house and she isn't near me but hears the Liberty Mutual commercial, she will come running from the other side of the house to come jump and bark at the TV.
"I can't even sing the jingle or say the words 'Liberty Mutual' without her tilting her head or start getting upset."
Newsweek has contacted Liberty Mutual vial email for comment.
TikTok users were in stitches, with one writing: "The way she sensed the aura of the commercial before it came on IM CRYING." One user asked: "How did she KNOW??"
"My mom's dog hates this commercial too! she goes absolutely insane when she hears it come on," another shared, while one said their pet bird had the same reaction, writing: "If I'm lucky I can hit mute before the jingle at the end plays [because] that's what sets him off."
DeWitt proudly told Newsweek that aside from being a social media star and TV enthusiast, his pet, a former stray, is "a very smart dog."
Piper is "the most intelligent dog I've ever had," he said of the border collie-blue heeler mix.
"She always looks you in the eyes and always pays attention to every word you say."
Blue heelers are also known as Australian cattle dogs. The American Kennel Club (AKC) writes the breed can be intelligent enough to even outsmart their owners.
The border collie is also known for its intelligence, with the breed popular in training and obstacle courses, and as a working breed.
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