Most pet owners teach there dogs to give them paw and find comfort in their unwavering love and joy for life.
However one sheepadoodle from Tacoma, Washington, has amassed 8.2million followers on TikTok with her videos, where she apparently expresses her feelings of existential crisis.
Doting owner Alexis Devine created the account for the three-year-old Bunny after teaching her how to use a sound bar.
However she has been able to expand her vocabulary and converse with her owners on many topics, from growing confused about her identity to asking for anti-depressants.
Bunny the three-year-old sheepadoodle (pictured) has been learning how to communicate with her owners using a sound bar
Bunny is one of almost 2,600 dogs and 300 cats enrolled in a project called TheyCanTalk, which is aimed at understanding if animals can communicate with humans through augmentative and alternative communication devices.
The devices, similar to Bunny’s sound board buttons, were originally designed for humans with communication disorders, but more recently have been adapted to use in language experiments with animals.
Starting with a button that, when pressed said ‘outside’, Bunny has been able to expand her vocabulary and converse with her owners on many topics, from telling them she loves them to saying she misses them when they are not around.
However, despite her adoring fans hailing her as a genius, a growing sense of self-awareness is making the dog unhappy and Twitter users have claimed she is going through an ‘existential crisis’.
In a video Bunny’s owner shared on the pup’s TikTok account, she is seen asking for her anti-depressant medication
One user tweeted videos of Bunny from her TikTok account, where Alexis revealed that the dog is antidepressants, one where Bunny looks into a mirror and asks ‘who is that?’ with her buttons, before repeatedly pressing ‘help.’
The post has been liked 45.2k times and has been retweeted by 5,839 users.
Over three thousand Twitter users flocked to the comments section to express their thoughts on Bunny’s increasing self consciousness.
One commented: ‘I cant believe there is a dr that prescribed antidepressants for a dog.
Taking to Twitter someone posted concerns over Bunny’s mental state and supposed existential crisis, after the dog was seen looking in the mirror at herself
In the TikTok video Bunny is seen saying that she feels ‘Big Sad’ before owner Alexis realises she needs her medication. Alexis captioned the video explaining the dog’s mental health issues
‘This is meddling with dogs natural instincts for survival. Good that the dog is letting them know it feels worse.’
Another mockingly suggested: ‘They named the dog Bunny then wanna act confused when the dog has an identity crisis lol.
A third posted: ‘It’s something very sinister about this whole thing. don’t exactly know how to explain it and it’s bothering me.’
And a fourth commented: ‘He was already on antidepressants before the buttons. Lol but I guess the buttons made it worse. Lol’
Over three thousand Twitter users flocked to the comments section to express their thoughts on Bunny’s increasing self consciousness, with some expressing concern over the dog being on antidepressants
In one of the videos shared Bunny’s owner Alexis confirmed that the pup had been on Fluoxetine for Generalised Anxiety Disorder since the start of 2022.
The caption read: ‘Buns has been on Fluoxetine for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) since the beginning of 2022.
‘When I give it to her I say “this is for all done sad and all done concerned” It’s been hugely helpful in combination with our management and behavior modification plans, and this clip seems to show that Buns too has an understanding of how helpful it’s been #mentalhealthishealth #anxiety #depression #smartdog.’
Alongside Bunny expression she is ‘big sad,’ her behaviour was questioned when she kept looking in the mirror before moving to questions about why she is a dog.
And while some people speculated about Bunny’s growing conscious and presumed existential crisis, others were in awe of her capabilities and said that it was great that Bunny could communicate with the buttons
And while some people speculated about Bunny’s growing conscious and presumed existential crisis, others were in awe of her capabilities.
One person remarked: ‘Other species are evolving into a higher state of consciousness, just as out ancestors did.
‘We aren’t the only intelligent species on earth. We were just the first to become THIS intelligent. Our job is to pave the way for the rest, not oppress them.’
Another commented: ‘The dog was already on antidepressants idk why y’all find it scary that animals have thoughts and emotions like how do y’all treat your pets?’
And a third speculated: ‘Bunny’s been on antidepressants before she got the buttons. Her owner thought the buttons were a good way for bunny to communicate her feelings.’
IS DOG INTELLIGENCE AKIN TO HUMAN INTELLIGENCE?
Dogs’ abilities to learn are varied, much like humans’ abilities, according to WebMD.
Dogs that were bred in order to hunt, retrieve or herd are faster learners because they are inherently quicker on their feet.
Similarly, dogs bred to guard livestock or track scents are usually slower.
A new study has found that mental deterioration among older dogs can be staved off if the dogs complete brain teasers on a touch screen (file photo)
The key in training your dog, WebMD says, comes down to knowing what your dog was bred to accomplish.
However, all dogs can be trained to follow simple commands, according to trainers.
WebMD reports that the following are the most naturally intelligent dog breeds:
- Border Collie
- Poodle
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Doberman Pinscher
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Labrador Retriever
- Papillon
- Rottweiler
- Australian Cattle Dog
READ MORE:
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How you really can learn to talk to your pet! It may sound loopy, but a new book by an animal psychic says almost all of us have telepathic powers we can harness to have conversations with cats, dogs, cows… and even snakes
Do dogs miss us when we’re gone? Bunny the ‘talking’ sheepadoodle seems to say ‘yes’
