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Ever notice your dog magically appearing out of nowhere whenever you're about to open a bag of food?
One very keen dog in Australia who is extremely sensitive to the sound of any packet being opened has left TikTok users in stitches.
The dog's behavior "whenever anything resembles a packet opening" was captured in a recent viral clip shared by @arlo.iggy, the TikTok account of an Italian greyhound named Arlo, who is 2.5 years old, his owner Leighton told Newsweek. The footage shows Arlo poking his head out from various spots around the house.
Leighton, a 32-year-old educator based in Sydney, said that Arlo has "always been happy to jump at any opportunity for a treat or snack, especially cheese.
Whenever any packet involves food, "he'll be right next to me in no time, ready for whatever the packet holds," he said.
The dog's reaction is not surprising as Italian greyhounds are described as "flash-and-dash coursing hounds with an instinct for pursuit," according to the American Kennel Club, the world's largest purebred dog registry.
The canine's hyperawareness around food packets in the latest clip is understandable as a dog's greedy nature when it comes to food can be down to genetics, according to a Cambridge University study from May 2016.
The study, published in Cell Metabolism, found that some Labradors have a mutation in their DNA that could predispose them to weight gain.
Eleanor Raffan, a co-author of the study, said: "There is some hard-wired biology behind that persistent food-seeking behavior," The Guardian reported at the time of the study's release.
According to the study, among the dog breeds for which data has been reported, Labrador retrievers were found to have "the greatest documented obesity prevalence and have been shown to be more food motivated than other breeds..."
The research showed that a "deletion in the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene" was associated with "increased body weight, adiposity [fat], and food motivation in both Labrador retrievers and the closely related flat-coat retrievers."
A caption shared with the video, which has had 2.7 million views since it was first posted on November 7, states: "We eating something?"
A message overlaid on the clip reads: "My dog whenever anything resembles a packet opening."
The footage shows Arlo suddenly poking his head out from behind a sofa and out of a dog bed, before staring ahead and remaining still in place each time.
Several TikTok users were in stitches over the dog's response in the post.
User alexandraseyberth said: "I completely understand! How do they know???"
User cmr8675309 noted: "My dog and the cheese drawer-no matter how quiet I open it our 13 year old dog with hearing loss is immediately alert. Like HOW?!"
Lauren R. wrote: "My dog can't hear her name to come back inside but she can hear any food wrapper 20mi away."
Ramz15 was amused by the first shot of Arlo seen behind a sofa, "when his little ear bounced."
User gstcldjp6vj agreed, noting "That little head popping out is hilarious!!"
User bailey said: "This is so funny to me."
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.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more