'Pick Me Up:' Owner Discovers Dog Staring at Camera at Doggy Day Care

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A dog owner was shocked when he checked the livestream of his dog's day care center to discover his pup staring straight back at him.

Three-year-old Buster is a Weimaraner and Great Pyrenees mix and lives with owner Leif Henrikson in Northern Illinois.

Henrikson told Newsweek: "He was going to a local Dogtopia where we could log in throughout the day and view the different cameras for each room. He is definitely looking right at the camera—I took a screenshot on my phone right away."

Doggy daycare
The screenshot of 3-year-old Buster. The owner of the Weimaraner and Great Pyrenees mix told Newsweek that he was left in stitches because Buster seemed to discover the doggy day care's camera.

Dog day care is a great option for pet owners who have commitments that mean their pet might be at home for extended periods of time alone. While our pets may not have a sense of time in the same way we do, it isn't advisable to leave even the most well-behaved dogs home alone for more than four hours at a time.

The hilarious picture was captured with a hidden security camera, and Henrikson said he was amazed that Buster appeared to have figured out exactly where it was.

While he smiled for the camera, it turns out that Buster didn't really enjoy being at the day care.

"He's such a gentle boy but hated it there," said Henrikson who used to take his dog three to four times a week. "Too much BDE (big dog energy) for him. Buster was asked to not come back after he went after another dog across the entire room who wasn't bothering him at all. We think he was saying, 'If you won't take me out of this place, I'll make sure I'm not welcome back.' Too smart for his own good."

Going through his pictures, the owner stumbled on the screenshot and couldn't help but share it on Reddit's r/funny forum.

The picture received thousands of reactions from Reddit users who loved seeing the dog's seemingly smiling face.

"The Truman Show 2 - Dog Days," posted one commenter, while another wrote: "Pup is smiling."

Another commented that it looked like Buster was asking to be collected: "Dad, can you come pick me up? I'm hungry and I'm tired.... I know you're watching," they wrote.

"He knows," wrote another Reddit user.

Dog day care antics often delight the internet, like the goldendoodle caught on camera during their owner's vacation, or when a "mass breakout" at a day care left thousands of viewers in stitches.

"I was blown away by the amount of attention it received," said Henrikson, who also shares updates about Buster on Instagram under the handle @crazyforbuster. "Buster had a rough first year of life—he contracted heartworms and lived in a shelter for over six months. We are taking every opportunity to make the rest of his years great."

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

Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle. Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Alice by emailing alice.gibbs@newsweek.com.


Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more