Owner Discovers Dog, Not Dryer, Is Responsible for Socks Disappearing

No matter how many toys we get them, we all know our pups will be much happier playing with shoes and socks, although sometimes that can go very wrong. A dog called Gunner has left the internet in stitches due to a viral clip of him feeling sick after eating his owner's socks while on a tractor trip.

The clip was shared on TikTok in May by the dog's owner, under the username Frickey1, and has 1 million views. Gunner can be seen lying down near the tractor's pedals, as his owner explains: "Did we just have to make an emergency bailout of the tractor because somebody was going to throw up? Is that not a pair of socks lying out there, that somebody, you know, must have [eaten], and upset their tummy a little bit? Huh?"

The caption reads: "The dryer doesn't eat my socks, that's my dog's job apparently."

Dogs often like to play with our socks because they have our scent on them and because they're quite easy to chew on, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). That is especially true for puppies who are teething and like exploring things with their mouths. Very rarely, they may eat socks because of a compulsive disorder called pica. This results in obsessive ingestion of non-food items, for which stress and anxiety are common triggers.

"If your dog is excessively focused on eating socks or other non-food items, it is best to consult with a vet or behaviorist," the AKC website explains.

The TikTok video has attracted animal lovers from across the platform and has so far received almost 130,000 likes.

One user, Ty, commented: "Can we just not talk about it?" And Laura wrote: "Definitely a chocolate lab thing. A sock killed our boy." Faithe Dell added: "Dad, I don't feel good. please leave me alone." User janice315 joked: "Side eye. Side eye!"

Silver of the Woods wrote: "Dog: I don't want to talk about it... just drive the machine." And ellie.ellezeebub posted: "Can I please regret my choices in peace." Jse0920 added: "Thought my beagle was throwing up some kind of monster in [the] middle of night-it was my husband's whole sock."

Newsweek reached out to Frickey1 via TikTok chat for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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