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A video of a pit bull in Florida appearing "scared" as Hurricane Idalia approaches has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted two days ago from the TikTok account of Ernie the pit bull (@erniethepitbull) and had over 781,000 views at the time of writing.
The footage shows a dog hiding under a red blanket on the floor of what appears to be a laundry room in a home. A caption shared with the post reads: "Hurricane Idalia's in the air! Poor Ernie is scared and does not want to go through another one!"
Hurricane Idalia hit Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. It swept through Florida's Big Bend with 125 mph winds, making it the strongest storm to hit the region in more than 120 years, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Various coastal towns, including Horseshoe Beach, Keaton Beach, Cedar Key and Steinhatchee, were met by storm surges and extreme flooding.
The pit bull's response in the viral clip is not unusual, as our canine friends can have a fear of certain noises, such as thunder during stormy weather.
"Noise aversions are quite common, with estimates of 1/3 of the canine population affected. Single traumatic experiences or repeated exposure to frightening stimuli can cause reactions ranging from mild fear to extreme phobic reactions," said veterinarians Kenneth Martin, Debra Horwitz and Gary Landsberg in an article for VCA, one of North America's largest animal hospital chains.
"Mild fear responses may include panting, pacing, and attempts to hide, whereas phobic responses may include panic, extreme agitation, attempts to escape and/or destructive behavior," the veterinarians said.
@erniethepitbull Hurricane Idalia’s in the air ! Poor Ernie is scared and does not want to go through another one! #Erniethepitbull #dogsoftiktok
♬ original sound - Ernie the Pitbull
A voice in the viral clip says: "We're gonna get a hurricane and I can't find Ernie, but there he is," as the camera approaches the pit bull hidden under a blanket. "Ernie is terrified," the voice adds.
"Ernie, are you okay?...you scared?" the voice asks, as a hand partially lifts the blanket up to expose the dog's face. "Just gonna leave him," the voice says as the clip ends.
Dog fears and phobias can be reduced through behavior modification techniques, using classical conditioning and positive reinforcement to "encourage positive emotional responses" to the noise, Martin, Horwitz and Landsberg said in the aforementioned VCA article.
The veterinarians advise against "extensive coddling or consoling" when the dog expresses fear. This behavior "may justify or become predictive of the fear-inducing stimulus, thereby exacerbating it."
They explained that "while attention may calm the dog in the moment, attention does not teach the dog to not be afraid of specific stimuli. Instead, it conditions attention-seeking behavior when afraid as a coping strategy, leading to codependence."
The pit bull's reaction in the video has melted the hearts of several TikTok users.
User Michelle Breazeale-Sexton said: "Ernie needs extra love and lots of snuggles."
ArlenesSoapery noted: "They can feel what's coming. Poor Ernie. Me wanting to hug him."
User lilkelquick wrote: "Oh my heart! Poor baby!
Michelle Day302 said: "Gawd. My heart. Omg," while H said: "This poor sweet baby."
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