A heartbreaking TikTok video has revealed the lasting trauma a dog endured after a terrifying attack.
In the clip, the creator’s pup is seen attempting to make himself “smaller” and submissive when encountering another dog. The footage shows the dog lying on his belly behind a fence, visibly submitting to another canine.
“He makes himself look smaller around other dogs by laying on his belly after being attacked while on a walk,” his owner captioned the video.
Wirestock/Getty Images
The emotional display resonated deeply with viewers, who said the dog was “showing his submission” and advised the owner to watch him closely in case other dogs continued to bully him.
The depth of the dog’s trauma was evident to many, even from the short clip.
“I feel for that dog,” one person wrote. “The attack on him must have been very traumatic to get him to submit like that.”
The creator later shared a detailed storytime explaining the harrowing incident involving her dog, Draco.
“This is Draco,” she began. Describing their routine, she explained that she walks him around 7:00 p.m. Their neighborhood has many houses with short fences, she said, making dog encounters common.
The attack occurred when she tried to avoid two dogs behind a short fence by crossing the street.
“That was where I messed up,” she said. The attack was sudden and brutal. “As I’m pulling [Draco] closer, the dog has already jumped the fence. He’s already on my dog. Like, neither one of us had time to react.”
Her biggest regret was keeping Draco leashed because he “can’t run away from the dog…He’s trapped.”
The terrifying ordeal lasted only seconds, but felt much longer. “I’m screaming like a crazy lady. I’m just screaming, [be]cause I don’t see anybody out,” she added.
They checked Draco for injuries—and the attacking dog’s owners offered to pay for Draco’s vet bills—but he was luckily physically unharmed.
The creator also revealed a disturbing detail about the attacking dog: “Apparently the dog that attacked him was a rescue, and the owner said that was the second time he jumped the fence,” she said. “I’m all for rescuing dogs, but if you can’t control your dog…They said the first time he got out, he was chasing after kids. Like, hello? That could have been someone’s kid. That is terrifying.”
Despite the traumatic experience, the creator emphasized Draco’s gentle nature that persists even after the attack.
“I read some of the comments that were saying I have a soft dog,” she said. “His breed does not allow him to be aggressive towards people or towards dogs.”
Newsweek reached out to @gym_junkie_16 for comment via TikTok.