Dog's adorable obsession with toys could have heartbreaking origin

Charli the dog when viral on TikTok thanks to her incredibly sweet habit of carrying around stuffed toys wherever she is – but an expert thinks there might be more to this behavior.

This dog loves to walk around and show off her toys, but a dog expert says this behavior may have a traumatic origin.
This dog loves to walk around and show off her toys, but a dog expert says this behavior may have a traumatic origin.  © Collage: Screenshot/TikTok/charli_puppydog

Charli and her owner are an adorable duo, and the two regularly post sweet clips to their TikTok channel charli_puppydog, which boasts over 800,000 followers.

The pooch loves to show off her toys and caries them around everywhere while wagging her tail, as a recent viral clip shows.

"She's just so proud of all her toys that she just loves to showcase them," her owner told Newsweek. "She also loves a good chase, so she's probably half expecting us to run after her!"

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Though TikTok users think their dogs just want to show their toys or be the center of attention, animal expert and dog trainer Susan Nilson says this behavior is more complex.

Are toys this dog's coping mechanism?

Charli won't go anywhere without her stuffed toys.
Charli won't go anywhere without her stuffed toys.  © TikTok/charli_puppydog

Nilson analyzed Charli's behavior, telling Newsweek that Charli appeared to be walking "calmly" and holding the stuffed animal "gently," which suggests she's a happy doggo.

"Her tail is loosely swishing side to side at a medium height, which indicates that she is feeling pretty calm and relaxed."

However, she also noted that some of Charli's body language was mixed. Her ears were laid back, which "may be because she is carrying the toy, but could also indicate some slight discomfort or anxiety."

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According to her owner, Charli had a rough start as a puppy, because she had parvovirus: "The vets gave her 50/50 chance of surviving, but she pulled through and is now the big strong doggy you see in our vids!"

That means this handsome hound may be using the toys as a security blanket to deal with her deep-seated fears.

Cover photo: TikTok/charli_puppydog

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