The Shiba Inu is an ancient Japanese breed and still the most popular dog in Japan. They’re becoming more popular in the West now as well, but that’s been a fairly recent development over the last 50 or 60 years.
They have a fiery personality and can be both strong-willed and goofy, which helps explain their internet popularity. In fact, there are even Shiba Inu “influencers” you can follow on Instagram.
The most famous Shiba Inu is, of course, Kabosu — but you probably know her as “doge.”
While this decade-old meme peaked in 2013, there are still plenty of new ones being made with her sweet face. It’s just another testament to the allure of the breed.
Scout was briefly a viral sensation as well. While she’s since passed away, a video of the pup posted in October 2010 continues to make the rounds on YouTube. In fact, over 3 million people have seen her most popular video!
Her owner uploaded the clip with the caption: “She is not looking at a fly… she’s looking at us! This is Scout’s own and very unique way of telling us that she needs to go out :)”
And boy is it unique!
You see, Scout has a habit of lifting her head back nearly 180 degrees to get her owner’s attention while standing at the door.
Yes, she also lets out a few barks, but hovering near the door and throwing her head back dramatically is her trademark “request” behavior.
It’s pretty hilarious!
Except when it looks like she’s broken (but don’t worry, she’s not).
As you might imagine, commenters had a field day with doge-style replies to Scout’s antics:
Such exersist
So flexble
Why upsidedown?
Such head
much tilt
many possessed
devil doge
wow
When asked where she learned this “trick,” her owner had no answer — he simply replied that she just randomly started doing it one day.
That inevitably led to a rush of comments about how this behavior might indicate that something could be wrong with the dog, perhaps a neurological disorder. What can we say? People really love to spoil a cute moment.
While most of the faux-expert comments have been deleted, Scout’s owner was always careful to note that the pup was in good health. Finally, he had to include a disclaimer in the caption so people would stop flaming him with “concern.”
“Hey Guys, I’ve had some people express concerns over Neurological Issues… not sure where that’s coming from?? Either way, don’t worry!! She was 4 months old in this video and is now approaching her 3rd birthday :) She’s been to the vet a few times since then and is nice and healthy :D Scout is such a big part of our family and we take excellent care of her!”
Alas, Scout only lived to be three years old. Her family posted a beautiful tribute video but there was no explanation as to her cause of death.
Most people found out about the pup’s passing in 2013 around the same time that they were first introduced to her adorable head-tilting antics. This made for a pretty sad day on the internet.
“Didn’t discover the news of Scout’s passing until yesterday; so sorry for your loss. She seems like she brought a lot of joy into your lives for the brief period she was a part of your family. I still enjoy and continue to watch the old videos of her!”
It’s fair to say that Scout’s video made her an Internet legend, which means she still lives in our hearts and minds with her silly “let me out” display.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the full video of Scout’s unique request to be let outside.
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