When you walk into a person’s house, you’re often introduced to their pet.
In the United States, more than half of all households own a pet. Whether it be a dog, a cat, or some other type of animal, the advantages of pet ownership are well accepted.
For example, people who own dogs tend to have lower blood pressure, decreased risk of heart disease, reduced levels of stress, and a strengthened immune system. For kids, in particular, the advantages of a pet are great. Oprah.com lists benefits, including:
- lower blood pressure
- less risk of allergies and asthma
- encouraging responsibility
- sharing love and company
- reducing stress, loneliness, and anxiety
In fact, in 2015, researchers at the Bassett Medical Center in New York examined children aged 7 to 8 years old. They later wrote: “From a mental health standpoint, children aged 7 to 8 often ranked pets higher than humans as providers of comfort and self-esteem and as confidants.”
Even though some parents worry about how their child and pet will interact, most of the time, the meeting goes without a hitch.
Children often become friends with the household pet— and in this adorable video, a toddler lets his giant dog know exactly who’s boss!
Dogs and children share a few similarities— mainly in their tendency to think they control house. But, what would happen if a dog and a toddler were to stand off? In such an adorable power struggle, what party would reign supreme?
Thanks to this hilarious video, we may finally have that answer.
In the video, viewed nearly 4 million times, you see a tiny toddler attempting to assert his dominance with a giant Great Dane.
Up until that moment, the black pup has been laying quietly in his dog bed, minding his own business. But soon, the toddler walks up with a little request.
Clad only in a diaper, the toddler gestures at the Great Dane, ordering the pup to get out of his bed.
I’m not sure if this is a first for them, but the animal’s annoyed grumble makes me feel like it’s a common routine.
Huffing and puffing, the dog rises from his bed— only to see the sneaky toddler completely snag his seat.
“What the heck, mom?!”
It’s hilarious to see such a big dog allow himself to be bossed around by the tiny child— but anyone who knows Great Danes probably isn’t that surprised. Great Danes are actually known as ‘gentle giants’ in the dog world. Their big hearts match their large bodies, and they’re absolutely great with kids.
The breed originated in Germany as descendants of mastiff-like dogs who were bred by nobility for guarding and hunting purposes. Nowadays, Great Danes have become increasingly popular in city areas, helping owners to guard against intruders.
Many of the Guinness Record holders for world’s tallest dog are reported to be Great Danes, but the breed’s large stature disguises its giant heart. Zeus, a former record-holding Great Dane, measured in at 7 feet 4 inches while standing on hind legs— but like the dog in this video, he was also gentle and sweet.
Zeus served as a therapy dog for others, and in an interview, owner Kevin Doorlag told ABC News:
“He’d sit on people’s laps. I loved to see people’s reactions when he’d sit down.”
“He just seemed to want to make people smile and happy, and…. he was just a very sweet dog.”
Since being uploaded to Rumble, the adorable video has been seen 3.5 million times.
The adorable interaction is charming everyone. Comments on the video read:
“Dog is like, ‘Wait, what just happened?”
“Gentle giants. Lol, He was like ‘ugh, hey!'”
“That’s so cute and funny. I have this on my GIF app.”
Watch the adorable moment below!
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