The internet’s hearts have collectively melted over a tiny puppy acting out an intense dream.
Hugo the Labrador is an adored pet with a whole TikTok account dedicated to him, and he has now become an overnight social media sensation when his owners caught him dreaming.
In a clip shared to @hugothefoxredlab on August 17, which has already reached 1 million views and 101,000 likes, Hugo can be seen lying on the sofa in a deep, relaxed sleep.
Or so it seems at first—because as the video goes on, Hugo begins yelping and barking at some unknown enemy in his dream.
His eyes closed and still fast asleep, Hugo lets out a series of barks, at one point even growling in his sleep.
His owners shared the clip alongside the humorous caption: “Having a ruff dream.”
And TikTok users loved it, with hundreds flocking to the video to share a comment, one declaring he was “chasing sheep, not counting”.
“The little growl at the end,” another wrote, while one encouraged Hugo to “get that squirrel!”
“Oh Hugo, stop being so cute,” one moved commenter wrote.
And as one put it: “He’s reliving his entire day in his dreams. I hope he had an amazing day!”
While dogs do dream, there’s no way to say for certain what they dream about.
However, Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinary officer at the American Kennel Club (AKC) previously told Newsweek they “suspect that dogs dream about everyday occurrences and interactions, whether it is with animals or people.”
Like humans, dogs enter a rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, and while usually a part of the brainstem prevents you from acting out the dream and causing a danger to yourself, this doesn’t always happen.
In the case of puppies like Hugo, that part of the brainstem, called the Pons, is underdeveloped, causing them to act out dreams more often. And in older dogs, the pons stops working as efficiently, professor emeritus of psychology Stanley Coren explained in a 2016 article for Live Science.
Hugo the puppy melted hearts across TikTok as his owners caught him dreaming. The tiny pup barked and growled while fast asleep.
TikTok @hugothefoxredlab
Hugo is a Labrador, but has an unusual “fox red” coloring, rather than the more frequently seen yellow, chocolate or black hue of the breed.
When not dreaming about chasing things, Hugo’s TikTok account is full of the puppy exploring the world.
One video shows the moment he masters getting up the stairs—but can’t figure out a way to get down again—while others show him chewing on toys and cuddling with his owners.
Newsweek has reached out to @hugothefoxredlab on TikTok for comment on this story.
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