'Baby Possum Friend:' Owner bizarrely Finds Tiny Animal Clinging To Her Dog

A video of an Australian dog owner discovering that a dark object on her pooch turned out to be a "baby possum friend" has gone viral on social media.

The clip, which can be seen here, has attracted some 425,900 views since it was uploaded on Friday, March 18, by TikTok user Duke of Hawthorn.

In the video, a woman explained that she noticed something attached to her Chow Chow dog Duke and was curious what it was.

She added: "So, I just called my dog inside for the night and there's something dark attached to his chest. And I was like: 'What have you put your chest in?'

"Um, there's just a possum hanging off his chest."

After the owner called over Duke, the little possum could be seen hanging off the dog's long ginger fur.

As the clip continued, the owner once again called Duke while they were outside and gently removed the possum from the pooch.

Making sure the possum would not try to hitch another ride with Duke, the woman placed the little mammal on a fence.

In a reply to a comment under the video, Duke of Hawthorn explained she thought her dog was muddy and only learned a possum was hanging on when she went to wipe him.

Unsurprisingly, people quickly flooded the comment section with hundreds of posts, many of which praised the content in the video.

One user said: "OMG (oh my God) my cat had the same thing. A possum hanging off his big white mane. We just died of laughter."

Another added: "I'm putting my dog out right now. If he doesn't come back with a precious creature, I'm going to cry."

A third commenter posted: "This wins the internet today. Adorable. What a sweet pup you have."

But other TikTok users were concerned that the possum was on its own and asked Duke of Hawthorn to contact wildlife experts.

One said: "Did you manage to get in contact with a wildlife rescue for this little one? This one's too small to be on its own and needs to be assessed."

Newsweek has contacted Duke of Hawthorn for comment.

According to the New South Wales government, the brush-tailed possum is the most widely distributed possum in the country and can be found in forests, woodlands and along the east coast.

It also thrives in urban areas and is known to look for food in fruit trees, vegetable gardens and also kitchens.

Should a possum become a nuisance after taking up residence in or near a home, they can be trapped and removed if you have a license from the Department of Planning and Environment.

While the government does not recommend you feed a resident possum, you could build it a shelter to keep it safe and away from dogs and people.