Puppy's Reaction to Eagle on TV 'Coming at Him' Leaves Internet Laughing

A video of a dog startled by an eagle seen on television has gone viral on TikTok, where it had over 595,000 views at the time of this writing.

The clip shared from the TikTok account Lev the King Charles (@lev_king_charles) was posted with a caption that read: "I love watching tv with lev [he's] actively watching with me [laughing crying face, dog and red heart emojis] #dog #pup #puppy #puppies #kingcharlesspaniel #kingcharles #spoiled #puppylove #cute #cutenessoverloaded #funny."

The video shows a cavalier King Charles spaniel laying at the edge of a couch while watching television. The television screen appeared to show a bird soaring over a landscape, gliding straight towards the camera.

A message overlaid on the video read: "He thought the eagle [was] coming at him [crying laughing emoji]." The dog was seen abruptly jumping backwards as the bird flew directly towards it from behind the television screen.

It's no surprise that the dog in the latest video was quite responsive to the eagle on television, since dogs have a strong sense of visual perception.

A February 2013 study in the peer-reviewed journal Animal Cognition found that dogs were able to differentiate dogs from other species, including humans, and could "group all the images of dogs within the same category," based only on visual cues.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the world's largest and oldest nonprofit all-breed dog registry, how a dog responds to what's on television depends on its personality and breed characteristics.

For example, dogs from the terrier group, who were bred to hunt vermin, might react to movements or squeaky noises, while bloodhounds, who are known for their scent-trailing abilities, might not be as responsive to television due to there being no odors, explains the American nonprofit.

Cavalier King Charles spaniels are an affectionate, gentle and graceful breed that will "gladly descend from their royal high horse for a backyard frolic or a squirrel chase." They can be "upbeat athletes or shameless couch potatoes, depending on an owner's lifestyle," according to the AKC.

The latest video has left TikTokers in stitches.

User marius_bike said: "I hope you gave him lots of kisses and hugs," to which the original poster replied "of course."

Emma wrote: "Aww [floating hearts smiley face] bless him [crying laughing emojis]."

User avisha2407 said: "[crying laughing emojis] I laughed but so stinking cute."

User Letty wrote: "Dog be like 'Holy moly !! Did you see that? It almost got me there.' [floating hearts smiley face and crying laughing emojis]."

Ken Montour said the dog must have been thinking: "That was a close call [dog, eyes wide open, crying laughing emojis]."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment. This video has not been independently verified.

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