Dogs' Reaction After Owner Pretends to Faint Has Internet in Stitches

A video of dogs running to "save" their owner after she was spotted lying on the ground has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip, which had 5.3 million views at the time of writing, was posted by 36-year-old Kelly Dinham (@kellydinham), who is based in Lancefield in the Australian state of Victoria. Dinham manages the social media platforms for Edgar's Mission, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing and caring for farmed animals.

Dinham told Newsweek that her rescued border collies, 7-year-old Violet, 1-year-old Honey, and 1-year-old Bear, are "exceptionally observant and always seem to be aware of what's going on around them."

"Their companionship itself feels like a safeguard, providing me a sense of security and emotional well-being," she added.

The viral footage showed Dinham standing in a grass field, while the three border collies walked ahead of her in the distance.

A message overlaid on the video read: "Pretending to faint to see my dogs' reaction...," as Dinham was seen falling onto the grass, lying still with her hands stretched above her head and legs bent over to one side.

A later note overlaid on the clip read: "Let's go save her," as the dogs in the distance were shown running towards the woman.

The response of the dogs in the clip is not surprising as our canine friends may be instinctively wired to protect their owners, according to an April 2020 study published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

The study, which looked at whether dogs would release their "seemingly trapped" owners from a large box, found that dogs released the owner more often when the owner "called for help" (the distress test) than when the owner "read aloud calmly" (the reading test).

The study found that "dogs were as likely to release their distressed owner as to retrieve treats from inside the box, indicating that rescuing an owner may be a highly rewarding action for dogs."

The study noted that the dogs displayed more stress behaviors in the distress test than in the reading test. "This evidence of emotional contagion supports the hypothesis that rescuing the distressed owner was an empathetically-motivated prosocial behavior," the study said.

While releasing the owner could be attributed "primarily to other motivations," the study found "multiple lines of evidence indicated that prosocial tendencies represented a significant component of the dog's motivation to rescue the owner."

After the dog owner in the latest viral video appeared to collapse onto the floor, the pooches were shown looking back as a message overlaid on the clip said: "Look at that crazy lady."

Two dogs began running towards her before the third one joined and a subsequent note on the video read: "I don't want to miss out."

Another message read: "Is she dead?" as one dog appeared to sniff her feet. The dogs placed their heads closer to the woman's head and arms, as a subsequent note across the clip said: "I think she wants us to lick her face."

Dinham was seen getting up as another note across the video read: "Yes, that has fixed her," before the clip ended.

A caption shared with the post read: "Thanks for the help, puppies!"

Not only are they protective, but Dinham said her border collies are also "very attentive, which is a testament to their nature as a breed."

"They haven't specifically saved me in any dramatic situations, but their company is definitely a source of comfort and joy. They absolutely love to be by my side all the time," she said.

The clip delighted users on TikTok.

User shawn7447 wrote: "Your dog ambulance got you," while user6854293158836 said, "Paramedics saved u."

User Jane wrote: "That's so sweet," while Enoch said, "Dogs are amazing creatures."

User k00k00vaya noted: "1st dog noticed immediately," and michellesookhai said these dogs are "protective."

Sunny pets Meow said, "Good dogs," while Elaine wrote: "Aww bless them they love you."

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.

Update 07/05/23, 12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Kelly Dinham and a new video courtesy of Dinham.