Dog Needs Bathroom During Storm—Then Lightning Strikes in His Yard

A golden retriever puppy from Florida was working up his courage to go potty during a thunderstorm when lightning suddenly hit his yard, and his reaction has left users across TikTok in stitches.

In a viral video shared on the platform in May under the username @captainthegoldie, the puppy, Captain, can be seen cautiously stepping outside to go potty in the storm, when a bright flash lights up the yard, followed by a loud rumble.

Immediately the pup turns around and rushes back inside, letting fear have the best of him.

“When you really have to pee but lightning strikes in your front yard,” reads layover text in the clip, as the poster tries to encourage their dog to go out again and finish his business, but he won’t.

“I’m brave but… that was SCARY,” the caption says.

While he may not like thunderstorms, Captain must learn how to live with them. The state of Florida, also known as the lightning capital of the United States, seems to experience more lightning strikes per square mile than any other state.

The Florida Department of Health says that Florida experiences an average of 1.2 million strikes annually.

Each lightning bolt contains up to 1 billion volts of electricity, and can reach temperatures of about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than the surface of the sun.

“These intense bursts of energy can cause severe burns, structural damage, and even wildfires. Additionally, approximately 10 percent of people struck by lightning lose their lives, highlighting the need for proper precautions,” says the Florida Department of Health.

The video quickly went viral on TikTok and it has so far received over 890,100 views and 88,900 likes on the platform.

One user, William, said in the comments: “Hopefully that will get better. I have a golden retriever and Labrador retriever. A nuclear bomb could detonate outside and I doubt they would care.”

Brittney Dickey said: “My dogs refuse and will hold until the world ends before going out when it rains. Even my water loving yellow lab.”

Mimi wrote: “Oh no!!! Poor thing. They cannot get away from that fast enough!!!”

Newsweek reached out to @captainthegoldie for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.

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