Woman Gets Dog To Help With Anxiety, Plan Hilariously Backfires

A woman who got a dog to help with her anxiety has shared the hilarious way her plan backfired.

In a video on Instagram with more than 828,000 views, Ally Froth, from Austin, Texas, shared how the dog she wanted to help with her anxiety has anxiety of his own.

The text overlay read: "When you wanted a dog FOR anxiety, but the universe got confused and sent you a dog WITH anxiety."

Brown Labrador Tank is a big hit on social media where he and his canine friend Fisher have over 211,000 followers.

"I got Tank in sophomore year of college to help me deal with the anxiety of being a college student," Froth told Newsweek.

But she explained that before long, it became clear that Tank had his own anxieties.

"Tank has anxiety because we spend so much time together, when I'm not at class I'm with him," she said. "[His] symptoms include being super clingy and following me around everywhere, and [he] hates being left alone."

Anxiety in dogs is relatively common and can affect dogs of all ages, breeds, and backgrounds. A study from 2022 found that pet anxiety has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conducted in May 2022, it surveyed 1,000 adult Americans, 650 of whom were dog owners and 350 were cat owners. It found that over the last two years, dog separation anxiety has jumped well over 700 percent, with fear of strangers surging and surpassing fear of loud noises as the leading cause of anxiety in dogs.

Inspired by her love of Tank, and her belief that people in similar situations can relate, Froth shared the video which has delighted the Internet.

In thousands of comments, Instagram users shared their reactions too.

"I always thought my dogs had separation anxiety but it turns out we both do," said another dog owner in the comments.

While another Instagram user wrote: "The pawfect match."

"Omg how precious," laughed a third viewer.

Luckily, the two have an amazing bond and are able to support each other.

"We support each other by snuggling and watching TV on the couch when I have downtime," said Froth. "Also by getting outside and getting fresh air to de-stress."

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.