Pomeranian Who Loves to Play Dead Sends Internet Wild: 'Am I the Drama'

A dog who loves to play dead is sending the internet wild, with videos of his scene-stealing racking up millions of views online.

TikToker @lord_le0thelazypom, Jessica Stempel, regularly shares clips of her pet, aka Lord Leo, showing off the mutt's penchant for the "playing dead" command.

Dogs are known for their ability to learn commands and tricks, with the most popular being sit, stay, down and recall (come).

The American Kennel Club (AKC) said: "The foundation of training should be based on positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is the process of giving a dog (or person!) a reward to encourage the behavior you want, like getting a paycheck for going to work. The idea is not to bribe with the behavior but to train it using something your dog values."

They claimed it's best to start teaching them when they're a puppy, although they stressed older dogs can also learn, contradicting the phrase "can't teach an old dogs new tricks."

They advised: "Start when the puppy is about seven weeks old and keep the daily lessons simple and short, about five to 10 minutes long. Of course, there's no reason to give up on an older dog, trainers say. Rarely is a dog too old to learn obedience."

Leo, now 8, has perfected the playing dead pose, as he seems to love nothing more lying down for a much-needed rest on any sidewalk or street on his back, with his legs akimbo.

His hilarious pose often piques the interest of pedestrians, who frequently come over to investigate, voicing their fears over Leo's mortality.

A now-viral video, shared last month, sees people commenting: "He kooks dead... He scared me."

The clip, which can be seen here, was captioned: "Just another day of frightening passerbys on the nyc sidewalk."

Stempel added numerous hashtags, including "nothing to see here" and "just a normal day for Leo," before adding: "P.s. available for haunted houses."

The 34-year-old said: "He is stubborn, he is adorable, he is sweet, he loves being the center of attention. He loves treats, and he loves making people happy on the street with his playing dead antics."

Stempel added Leo originally belonged to her ex, and she met the pup when he was a year old, but when the couple broke up a year ago "I formed such a bond there was no way to split us up, and here we are today, I'm Leo's owner now."

The video amassed more than 10 million views, as Brenda commented: "Drama queen. So adorbs."

Oleladykaddie_L22 joked: "He just meditating in the middle of the sidewalk."

While TheCardashian added: "Honestly you should put a tip bucket next to him."

Another video showed the pair on another sidewalk, with Leo taking center stage.

"Sorry lady! Didn't mean to frighten you!" the video was captioned, as a couple walking past asked after the dog.

You will find more infographics at Statista

"Is he real?" she says, adding: "Oh my god I thought he was dead."

New York-based Stempel responds with "He's alive and well, he just likes to play dead," as the passerby admits: "I've never seen a dog do that before." The pair hailed Leo the "world champ" of playing dead.

His commotion-causing was documented in another video, as Stempel captioned a clip of receiving belly-rubs while on his back: "Is it me? Am I the drama? I don't think I'm the drama."

The chart below, provided by Statista, shows popular dog breeds in the U.S.

Update 28/9/22, 5:22 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment, photos and video from Stempel.