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An Australian shepherd dog has been accused of letting his breed down after getting "stuck" in a dog gate.
In the video posted by Ashlind M'Kay, which has more than half-a-million views, Chase the dog can be seen sitting on one side of the open gate, with two food bowls on the other, seemingly acting like he is stuck in a tiny jail.
His owner can be heard saying, "Oh Chase, are you locked away?" while the dog looks sad, poking his nose through the bars but with a wagging tail. At one point, Chase looks behind himself at an entirely accessible room yet doesn't move. The caption reads: "SOMEONE CALL 911 HE'S TRAPPED."
TikToker Doreenie commented, "Wait, isn't this supposed to be a super smart breed??", and another user wrote, "My aussie learned how to open the baby gate lol", to which the dog's owner replied, "Chase has LITERALLY jumped this baby gate a million times but can't escape this situation."
Known for the colorful coats and piercing blue eyes, the Australian shepherd breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1991, and has been growing in popularity since then, ranking as the 12th most-popular dog in America, according to registration data collected by the AKC.
Descended from a line of Europe's finest herders, the AKC reports that it was in the Basque country between France and Spain where the locals had world-class herding reputations that the Australian shepherd found its origins. Their dog of choice was the Pyrenean shepherd, and in the early 1800s, some of these herders emigrated to Australia to farm the virgin land.
"During their long sojourn in Australia, the Basque shepherd refined their dogs with judicious crosses to Australia's British imports, collies and border collies, among them. After building up their flocks, the intrepid Basques left Australia for greener pastures—literally—and set sail to California," the AKC adds.
"California ranchers admired the Basques' herding dogs and assumed they were an Australian breed—thus the misleading name Australian shepherd. Aussies, further refined and perfected in America, have been an iconic part of cowboy culture ever since.
"Many are still happily herding in the American West, others earn their feed as rodeo performers, and still others of this exuberantly versatile breed work as therapy dogs, drug detectors, service dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs."
TikTok users were delighted by the scene, with Earth To HQ writing, "This is unfair imprisonment. I am starting a petition to set him free."
TikToker Natty5340 commented: "Chase didn't graduate at the top of his class but he has a heart of gold."
Hooked On Clean posted: "The sweetest ones are always just a few straws short."
Newsweek has reached out to @ashlindmk for comment.
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About the writer
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more