Internet Laughs At 'Spoiled' Basset Hound Demanding Owner Cooks His Dinner

A fussy basset hound who will only eat a gourmet dinner has delighted the Internet, as his owners pretend to prepare a lavish dinner just for him.

A video of Berkeley the basset hound refusing to eat the plain dog food that was in his bowl was shared by TikTok user @swampboss29445 on May 10. After Berkeley turned his nose up at the bowl of food in front of him, his owner graciously took the bowl away and pretended to add salt, and pepper and even put it in the microwave, all while the dog observed her cooking skills.

Once his food was finally prepared and ready for him, the "spoiled" dog gladly ate it without giving it a second thought, even though his owner hadn't really changed the food.

Since the clip was posted on TikTok, it has been viewed more than 2 million times and amassed over 265,000 likes so far.

Basset hound looking at the camera
A stock image of a basset hound staring at the camera. A fussy dog has amused many TikTok users who were amazed by the efforts his owners will go to, to prepare the pooch's dinner. Getty Images/snezhok

Berkeley's owners certainly go the extra mile in order to present a delicious meal to the picky eater, but not all owners will be this dedicated. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, there are many other ways of getting a fussy eater to consume what's in front of them.

The animal hospital chain suggests that a healthy dog can go a week without eating, so owners shouldn't be concerned if their pup doesn't seem to eat that much from time to time. Even the pickiest of dogs will be forced to eat something after several days, as their survival instincts will kick in.

VCA Animal Hospitals offers advice for owners who are struggling with fussy pooches: it suggests putting a bowl of food out for no longer than 30 minutes and then taking it away until the next mealtime. Remove what the dog doesn't eat and then put out a new bowl of food at the next mealtime, as you can monitor how much the dog does eat regularly.

Dogs might prefer certain tastes or textures, so owners can seek to identify what their dog's preference is and stick to that.

Regardless of how fussy the dog may be, the vet chain discourages owners from feeding the dog bits of human food to make up the calories, as this will condone negative behavior and encourage the dog to be fussy as they appear to get rewards for it. Focusing on dog foods that will get them to eat should resolve the problem after some time.

Berkeley's exacting standards have amused many TikTok users, with thousands of people commenting on the post to praise the owners for "the commitment" to making the dramatic dog's dinner seem palatable.

One commenter responded: "Please don't ever get tired of doing this for him."

Another comment reads: "Love it. They are here for such a short time, they deserve the best of us."

One TikTok user joked that Berkeley is "making sure all the steps are being followed" in the process.

Newsweek reached out to @swampboss29445 via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that ... Read more

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