You might be familiar with Bailey the Golden Retriever. This is a dog with not one but TWO YouTube channels (and co-stars on his human sister’s Zlata’s channel as well).
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There’s a lot of recording going on in their house on the Costa del Sol in Spain!
And in this episode, Mom and Dad want to see if they can coax Bailey into comforting them when they pretend to feel sad.
But in the beginning, it looks like Bailey is the one who needs cheering up. Maybe he’s thinking “geez, guys, another video?”
As they go into “sad” mode, the humans put their heads down as if they’re crying.
And as most dogs do, his instinct is to comfort his crying owners (though Bailey looks like he could go either way at first).
Some have assumed dogs do this because they are empathetic creatures. Research done at the University of London suggests they might be since they are very likely to approach humans who are crying (or pretending to cry). And they almost always do so with submissive behavior.
But is it because they care or because they’re always rewarded with attention and love when they do? Animal researchers just don’t know (though owners are pretty convinced of their pet’s empathy).
In any case, this is the reaction Bailey’s parents are counting on to get some clicks.
The hilarious way the dog slowly makes it off his chair like comforting them is a chore made us giggle, but he does it in the end. The pull towards a sad mom and dad is too much to ignore.
Viewers finally get their wish as the dog gets in between the crying adults and proves that he’s at least ready to show up for this task.
Since the video was posted in April of 2020, it’s been viewed nearly 2 million times, so there’s clearly a demand to see dogs comforting people (and, to be fair, 2o20 has been quite a year for humans – some of us really are crying).
Despite the adorable dog’s efforts, the humans aren’t budging, so Bailey goes in for the face dig with mom. He’s going to get his nose in there no matter what.
She WILL feel better – he demands it!
While the sweet pup is able to rouse mom to some extent, she’s still bummed. So he moves on to dad.
Maybe he’ll be easier to cheer up.
Now we’re getting paws involved.
We kind of hope they’re giving Bailey extra treats for the free therapy he’s providing.
It’s funny to watch just how much more aggressively the dog tries to get to dad’s face. But perhaps it’s just because it’s harder to get in there and FORCIBLY COMFORT THE HUMAN.
What else is Bailey supposed to do? Crying humans can’t give love or treats.
With neither human budging we can’t tell if Bailey is frustrated or just intent on making this situation better.
His next move is to burrow between them both. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
And FINALLY, he cracks mom. We’re no longer sure if this was about cheering her up or getting some attention for himself.
After all, he’s worked for it and laps up the love.
But there’s still work to do with the other sad human. As soon as Bailey gets enough kudos he turns his attention to the camera (possibly thinking “is this over yet?”).
He even gives a little bark, like “CUT,” this scene is over.
But it’s not. However, Bailey’s frustration has cracked dad who starts to laugh before both humans bury their heads back in their hands.
Ok, NOW things have gone too far. Bailey knows what’s up and he’s not playing anymore. He barks in protest of this particular game.
Good doggo!
And now it’s over. Bailey’s nearly-2-minute-long nightmare is done and he’s getting some pets.
But WAIT – then they try it AGAIN!
Make sure you scroll down and see just how much Bailey isn’t having round two of the fake “crying game.”
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