Golden Retriever Forced to Wear All the Items He Has Stolen as Punishment

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A cheeky golden retriever called Kobe who is often up to no good has been forced to wear his owner's clothes that he steals. But, judging by the look on his face, it doesn't seem to be much of a punishment.

His owner Danielle Vanos, 31, shared a slideshow of images to a TikTok page dedicated to him called @airbudkobe. In one, Kobe can be seen with a garment in his mouth, followed by another photo of him wearing it.

Three-year-old Kobe is also shown sporting Vanos' sweater, a pair of boxers, trainers, and Danielle's unborn baby's hair bows. The clip has racked up 1.9 million views since April 12.

Instagram Gram That Steals Socks
Kobe, the golden retriever, is shown left wearing his owner's jumper. Danielle Vanos, 31, is pictured on the right holding him as a pup. A video of the 3-year-old pet has delighted TikTok users. Instagram/airbudkobe

A high-school teacher, Vanos spoke to Newsweek: "He steals constantly. We like to call him Klepto Kobe. We are currently keeping a running tally of everything he has stolen this year. So far, as of April 14, he has taken 111 unique items from us (doubles such as socks don't count).

"Recently, he stole the boot from a worker who came to fix our gas line, so that one was a bit hard to explain!" Vanos added.

"We're currently preparing for a baby coming in July, and his favorite thing to steal recently is baby clothes while I'm preparing the nursery, He also got his paws on a few items during the painting of the baby's room."

Kobe's nickname stems from a mental-health disorder that involves repeatedly being unable to resist the urge to steal items that are not needed.

Many other dog owners may say their pup has kleptomania, too. Canines can never seem to get enough of running away with things that don't belong to them.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) has explained why. It turns out laundry is covered in pheromones that are produced from human sweat glands, known as apocrine glands. So, when a dog darts toward their owner's gym gear or worn sweater, it's because they are using its nose to collect data.

A dog is able to find out a person's age, gender and mood by sniffing their smelly clothing, according to the AKC.

Instagram Gram That Steals Socks
Kobe appears to enjoy stealing and sporting his owner's clothes. The 3-year-old is affectionately nicknamed Klepto Kobe. Instagram/airbudkobe

So far, the video has received 224,200 likes and almost 470 comments. One user wrote that "he looks like he's enjoying his punishment."

Another suggested: "Now wear them all at the same time so we can see what outfit she picked out, [and] styled."

"We do this with our dog as well. He's put together some rather interesting ensembles," commented another TikTok user.

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

Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human interest features ranging from health, pets and travel. Lucy joined Newsweek in August 2022 and previously worked at Mercury Press and Media and other UK national newspapers, the Australian Women Magazines and The New York Post. My focus is human-interest stories ranging from relationships to health, fitness, travel, and home. I am always on the lookout for relationships that go against the "norm" such as age-gap ones along with incredible weight loss stories aimed to inspire and motivate others. Languages: English She is a Derby University graduate You can get in touch with l.notarantonio@newsweek.com.


Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human ... Read more