A veterinary clinic decided to conduct an entirely unscientific but utterly adorable experiment with a group of pug puppies.
Staff from Aldergrove Animal Hospital in British Columbia, Canada, took to TikTok to share footage of the supercute results with their followers on social media.
"The idea is someone slowly moves a puppy towards a wall and waits to see if they will put a paw up to stop themselves before bumping into the wall," a spokesperson for the hospital told Newsweek. "It's just for fun and doesn't really prove anything but it's a 'test' to see if the puppy is either smart enough or aware enough to stop themselves or are they trusting the person holding them to stop them instead."
The clip threw up some interesting results. While some of the pugs were happy to let their suitably squishy faces press against the wall, one of the five puppies who took part was able to put their paws out in time.
Of course, no puppies were harmed in the making of the video, though a caption accompanying the footage did note that it was a "good thing they already have squishy faces."
According to leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, dogs are capable of matching the mental abilities close to a human child around the age of 2.
He told the American Psychological Association that dog intelligence falls into three distinct categories. "There are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')," he said.
Pugs fall into the category of "working and obedience." Though they might not be the brightest of breeds, they do possess some smarts.
The video of the experiment proved popular, amassing 6.9 million views and counting alongside a glut of complimentary comments.
"Oh, pugs," one viewer wrote. "One of my favorite dogs. So funny and squishy." Another, meanwhile, confessed: "I've been watching this for 12 minutes."
Aldergrove Animal Hospital is certainly under no illusions as to why the video has racked up millions of views. "The popularity is all in the sheer cuteness of the pups. Pugs are a popular breed and historically anytime we've shared photos of pugs we've had great engagement," they said.
They were also keen to stress that while the experiment may have been conducted in a fair and accurate manner, it was simply designed as a bit of fun for all involved.
"The test isn't anything scientific," a spokesperson explained. "It's honestly something that just helps us boost spirits and bring joy to a day at work. Working in an animal hospital can be tough sometimes so we always try to find something to do each day that brings joy to our team. We also love to make our clients, followers and viewers smile and what better way to do that than with cute puppies."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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