Dogs have an uncanny sense of smell and a good internal compass. They learn pretty quickly when they’re on the usual route to their favorite dog park, or to the not-so-fun vet’s office.
There are some incredible stories of determined dogs finding their way home from as far as 500 miles away. Sure, those are pretty unique tales that are few and far between and not necessarily possible for every dog. But it’s not uncommon for an average dog to wander 10 miles away and find their way home.
Pretty impressive! I took a wrong turn coming home from the grocery store the other day.
Bonnie Beaver, the executive director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a professor at Texas A&M University explains how sensitive a dog’s nose can be. While a human’s 6 million olfactory receptor cells may sound like a lot, it’s not much compared to a dog’s 220 million!
But this doesn’t mean that they can’t get lost sometimes, too. Especially when they’re young and haven’t fully gotten their bearings yet.
So when four-month-old puppy Khiew Ngern went on a little adventure when his owner was working, he found himself a little further than he would have liked.
His owner lets her dogs roam free while she works in a restaurant kitchen, and the usually stay nearby. But Khiew was a curious little thing!
He had be puttering along with his head in the clouds, but when he looked up and couldn’t figure out where he was or how to find his way back.
He wandered around the bustling streets of Bangkok for six hours before a lightbulb went off in his head.
Instead of panicking, the smart little bull terrier mix found his way to a familiar place – his local vet’s office. He had made a few recent visits when getting all the necessary check ups and vaccines. So he knew he was close by and went to find help.
Most dogs hate the vet (especially after getting needles!) and avoid them at all costs, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He knew he had to be brave to get home.
He used his amazing doggie nose and sniffed his way to the Phuttaraksa Animal Clinic, and worked on getting the attention of the vets inside.
He barked and put his paws up on the clinic’s windows, then waited patiently and alert until one of the staff noticed.
The vet’s assistant recognized him and came to the rescue.
Remembering the horrible vaccine needle, he wasn’t totally comfortable going inside, but he knew they would take care of him, so he took the chance. He must have had a pretty good vet experience in the past!
I know many dogs who would rather jump out the window of a moving car than go inside the vet’s office.
The staff contacted his owner right away, and she ran over to the clinic to be reunited with her beloved doggo.
His mission was a success!
The vet office found the funny story so heartwarming, that they shared the security video footage to their Facebook page.
Their little clinic’s video went viral and has been shared more than 16,ooo times across the world!
Watch the video below to see the clever puppy’s knock at the vet office door.
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