A 4-year-old Pomeranian from London has captured hearts on social media after she seemed to get upset when her owner started packing her belongings into an Ikea bag.
The dog, named Tofu, was filmed standing quietly beside the blue bag, staring at it intently as it sat open on the floor. The video that now has more than 50,000 views on Instagram was overlaid with text that read: “When your whole life is packed in an Ikea bag, you’re not sure if you’re being dumped…or just going on holidays.” The caption said: “Ikea bag is out = I’m being abandoned???”
Tofu’s owner, who asked to remain anonymous, told Newsweek that the reaction has become a familiar sight whenever travel plans begin. “We found her through a friend’s pet litter—she was the only one left, and no one was planning to take her after her brothers left her. So we did,” the owner said.
Adopted shortly after the COVID-19 lockdowns, Tofu has grown into what her owner describes as “very much a COVID dog,” forming an especially close bond with her humans.
‘She Can Always Sense It’
“Whenever we travel, we send her to one of our closest friends for a little ‘staycation,’” the owner said. “Somehow, she can always sense it—the moment we start packing her things, she gets emotional.”
Tofu is not the only one to be left unsettled by packing in the house. A rescue dog named Izzy broke hearts on TikTok after appearing distressed when her family started packing moving boxes. Izzy, who had previously been surrendered to a shelter when her former owners moved away, was filmed sitting inside a cardboard box, seemingly worried she would be left behind again.
Animal behavior experts say dogs rely heavily on associative memory, meaning certain objects—such as suitcases, boxes or bags—can trigger emotional responses based on past experiences. While canines don’t remember events the same way humans do, they can strongly associate objects with outcomes, such as being separated from their owners.
For Tofu’s owner, documenting the moment is a special part of life with the pup.
“Lately, I’ve felt a stronger urge to film more of Tofu’s everyday life as she gets older,” the owner said. “I want to capture the small moment—the quiet ones like this.”
“She’s been receiving a lot of love recently, and it made me realize how full of thoughts and emotions she is, compared to other dogs,” the owner said. “She’s such a gentle, sweet soul, and it feels nice to share all of these sides of her with more people.”
