The puppy accidentally filled his owner’s house after chewing it, which caused hysteria among Internet users.
Charlotte Redfern and Bobby Geeter returned home from work on November 23 to find their house in Burton upon Trent, England, flooded, including their new carpet in the living room.
Despite his cute face, Thor, their 17-week-old Staffordshire bull terrier, chewed through the plumbing connected to the kitchen fridge and got soaked to the skin.
Heather (@bcohbabry) called the scene a “disaster” and shared a video of his puddle-infested kitchen and living room on TikTok. In just two days, the post racked up over 2 million views and nearly 38,000 likes.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), dogs chew for a variety of reasons. An evolved behavior, chewing strengthens their jaws, helps keep their teeth clean, and even relieves anxiety.
Dogs also like to chew for fun or stimulation, but this can quickly become a problem if they dig into inappropriate objects.
If your dog only chews on household items when left alone, it may be due to separation anxiety, while a dog that licks, sucks, or chews on fabric may be prematurely weaned.
Puppies chew to relieve the pain of teething and to explore the world around them. The ASPCA recommends giving puppies a damp washcloth or ice to reduce discomfort, or gently guiding them from household items to toys.
The video shows Redfern wandering around the house assessing the damage. The camera pans to the floor, showing wet rugs and even puddles, and she turns to Thor, who is sitting on the couch.
Clearly not understanding the havoc he has caused, Thor simply looks at his mother with his puppy eyes.
“He said, ‘My God.’ We heard a hiss from the kitchen and Thor sat up in his cage, trembling.
“The dog just looked at me and asked, “What did I do?” He just completely forgot what happened.
The flood was caused by Thor chewing on the plumbing connected to the water dispenser in the refrigerator. The pipes are usually out of reach, but Thor somehow managed to get through the wooden plinths at the bottom of the wall.
“He had a big rope with a big knot on the end, and he obviously untwisted the rope and knocked the board over,” Gate told Newsweek.
“There was a plastic pipe behind the plinth, through which water went to the refrigerator, and he bit through it. Teeth marks were visible,” he added. “It’s definitely a one in a billion event.”
Luckily, Geeter’s friend was a plumber and he lent them a commercial vacuum cleaner to suck up the water. However, the machine only holds 10 liters of water, so it took five and a half hours to drain the room.
The next morning they rented a carpet dryer and dehumidifier to dry the house. It took Redfern and Geeter almost two days to put everything together piece by piece.
TikTokers came to Thor’s defense, with BATSA user commenting, “Look at his face, 100% not him.”
“At least the carpets were thoroughly cleaned,” wrote Gemma Blagden, while PotterGirl commented, “I think you called him the wrong god. Loki, the god of mischief, suits him better.”
“We didn’t even blame him,” Gate added. “Whatever he’s doing now, we can say, ‘Well, at least it’s not as bad as when he flooded the house.’
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