Absolute Havoc Ensues as Golden Retriever Rolls in Muddy Puddle

A golden retriever owner was left horrified as her dog became unrecognizable after rolling in thick mud, forcing her to spend days cleaning up afterwards.

The expletive-ridden video of 1-year-old Hank covering himself in mud was shared by his owner, Kaela Cardillo, on her TikTok account (@hank.and.gus) on May 13. She helplessly watched as her retriever's coat turned from golden to a thick, muddy brown in just a few short minutes. Cardillo, from Waterloo, Ontario, told Newsweek that "it took days to get him clean" after.

"I just kept finding more mud hidden on him each time he dried," she said. "The mud was all over my car and my bathroom where I bathed him since none of my local groomers were available to take him. Myself and my kids were also covered in mud since he was excited and jumped all over us."

It's widely thought that dogs roll in dirt and other potent smells as a way to cover their own scents. The American Kennel Club says that this would allow dogs to hide from their prey or predators when in the wild. The AKC also references another well-known theory by Pat Goodmann, a researcher at Wolf Park in Indiana. Goodmann's explanation for why wolves roll in smells which they find interesting is so that they can communicate this back to their pack, rather than using it as a disguise.

Cardillo explained that Hank normally loves going for a swim in the nearby lake, but on this walk, he chose to dive into something a little less clean. Although his owner may have hated the sight of her golden retriever caked in mud, he certainly seemed to love it.

Cardillo has been amazed at the overwhelming reaction to the short clip. She wrote in the caption that "after hours of baths, multiple shampoos, he's still brown." However, social media loved Hank's mischievous antics as the video has generated over 11.4 million views, and 1.3 million likes.

Since the video went viral online, Cardillo told Newsweek: "The reaction to the video has been insane, definitely wasn't expecting it to get the traction that it did. Originally, I just wanted to share it with my mom and my friends, but it's been awesome.

"It made the whole clean-up process worth it to bring a smile to so many people's faces," Cardillo added. "I have finally got him clean. It took about two days of baths. Definitely not how I planned on spending my weekend, but happy to report he is blonde again."

The video has received over 3,500 comments from amused TikTok users, who couldn't deny the humor of the situation, despite Cardillo's misery.

One person commented, "congrats, now you have a chocolate lab," while another person wrote that Hank was "just having a spa day!"

Other dog owners were left just as shocked as Cardillo. They asked her how she managed to clean Hank up after.

One comment reads: "Ok but seriously what do you do in the situation? How do you get them home?"

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.