A golden retriever was excited to be heading out for a walk with his owner—only to realize he had been betrayed.
Charlie the golden lives in Montreal, Canada, with his owner, Lauren Lieberman, and has become a social media star as millions watch the videos regularly posted to Lieberman’s TikTok account, @laurenandcody.
From pulling tantrums when his owner appears to be going on vacation without him, to his joyous reaction when realizing he is going to his favorite place on a road trip, Charlie’s personality has earned him millions of likes on TikTok—and now the golden has gone viral again, as his owner recorded the moment of her ‘betrayal’. Lieberman spoke to Newsweek about the event.
In a clip shared on October 7, Charlie walks out of the elevator of his apartment building with Lieberman, literally jumping for joy, as she tells him: “You’re so excited to go for a walk!”
“You don’t even know what’s outside,” Lieberman goes on, as Charlie’s excitement grows, and he rushes to the double doors leading on to the street.
But then comes the “betrayal”—as when he walks out, he spots a purple mobile grooming van belonging to Mobispaw in Montreal, and realizes he is not going for a walk at all. Charlie stops dead, staring at the van, and when Lieberman tries to pull him along, he tries to get back inside the double doors—even as a staff member walks out and waves to him in a friendly manner.
Lieberman told Newsweek: “Honestly, when I used to take him to a brick-and-mortar groomer, it was much worse. He refused to get out of the car.
“But, because this is a mobile groomer and they come right outside the house and the people there are so nice, he throws a little fit once he sees the van, but then he goes in and he’s so happy.”
In the video, as staff member Marissa gives Charlie cuddles and reassurance, he appears to relax—but still refuses to move any further.
The dog lies flat on the ground, and the groomer has to physically get behind Charlie and lift him up, encouraging him to walk to the van.
Lieberman wrote over the video: “POV [point of view]: Your golden retriever couldn’t wait for his walk … until the biggest betrayal was waiting at the door.”
TikTok users were in stitches, watching the video more than 12.9 million times, as one commenter posted: “Cut the cameras.” Another wrote: “Betrayal list: Marissa.”
“He’s like ‘Oh. Hi Marissa’,” a third added, as a fourth pointed out: “When they refuse to move it’s like they suddenly become twice as heavy and suck themselves to the ground.”
And one commenter sided with Charlie: “Could you imagine going outside your apartment to go do something you love and your boss is standing at the door directing you to go to work this is prob how he felt.”
Lieberman said it is almost as if Charlie “purposely throws a little tantrum like a child,” because, once he’s actually in the van, “he’s happy.”
Lieberman added: “He likes to cause a little production, a little show for the people outside that are watching! As we know by now, he’s very dramatic, which is why we love him so much.”
Lieberman proved this with a video update showing Charlie in the van, being extremely well behaved as he is trimmed and groomed, casually giving his paw so his nails can be clipped, and finishing the day with a nap on the couch looking clean and shiny.
To anyone concerned about Charlie, Lieberman said: “He loves Mobispaw and loves the groomer even more. I think most dogs are just scared of the groomer because of the loud noises that the dryer makes.”
And Mobispaw loves Charlie too, as Lieberman revealed his photo is even “the face on one of their vans.”
Many dogs dislike being groomed, but there are steps that owners can take to help offset this, particularly if the canine is still young, according to a report from the American Kennel Club.
Getting the pup accustomed to being touched on all parts of their body, including their ears and tail, while regularly praising them and giving them treats, can help get them used to being brushed and groomed.
Owners can also teach their dogs to use a scratch pad to file their own nails, reducing the need to get their nails clipped.
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.
