Anthony Granai clearly loves his dog, but our hearts still break to see the sweet labrador mix grovel while getting a talking to from his dad.
In September 2015, a video of the pair uploaded to Granai’s Facebook page found millions of people around the world clutching their hearts at the sweet, sad pup. The original video has been viewed 39 million times on Facebook alone – with at least 12 million more coming from YouTube.
And if it’s been five years since you’ve seen it we can pretty much promise it will lay waste to your tear ducts all over again.
The video is only a minute-and-a-half-long but we’re not sure why it feels like an eternity (or if Granai’s dog Ettore felt like it lasted even longer).
The light discipline Ettore is getting in the video is in Italian but is simply Granai saying things along the line of “It doesn’t work that way – do you understand what you’ve done? You have to understand your mistakes.”
There’s no yelling – just some chastizing.
Meanwhile, the dog looks like he just got sentenced to life in prison with no chance of treats or love ever again. Or worse.
And we suppose that, to a dog, being forced to sit there and not be pet for over a minute is pretty much the same thing.
Ettore mopes. Hard.
Then, when the pup can’t take the guilt anymore, he slowly walks up onto Granai and nuzzles his face into the man’s chest. And then his neck. And then his face.
If Ettore could climb inside his owner to express his remorse, he probably would.
And we have no clue what the dog did wrong – but it hardly matters since he’s not even being punished (just reckoned with, so to speak).
At this point, just about any person would want to reach through their computer and hug the dog forever.
Because of the response to the video, Italian news tracked down Granai and his girlfriend Federica Riccardo who assured everyone that Ettore is okay and simply kind of a stinker (as well as a great actor).
They said Ettore was digging in the sofa cushions before the moment took place and that this sort of submissive apologizing happens often – as do Ettore’s misdeeds.
The six-year-old (at the time) dog had a long history of damaging couches in their apartment in Tuscany.
But he gets out a lot for walks and is very much loved. In fact, he gets to walk and play in a field every morning before the couple leaves for work and is clearly the center of attention when they get home.
He’s allowed to sleep on the couches, in the bed (with his head on the pillows), and is all over his owners they minute they walk in the door.
He also gleefully follows them around the house until he gets the adoration he feels he so richly deserves.
Nevertheless, he’s a naughty one!
The affectionate and sensitive dog has also demolished some shoes (especially heels) and eyeglasses – so the very tame lecture he was getting sounds fairly well-deserved. It’s just that he’s got the sympathy-seeking down to an art.
In other words, he’s just like any other dog.
So it’s clear there’s nothing to fear when it comes to Ettore’s well-being. No one could love him more than his parents.
And the rest of us would probably have taken a moment to lay down some ground rules too if he were our dog.
Be sure to scroll down below to have your heart melted all over again by sweet Ettore.
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