#197 Bush Scare Trauma

Those viral videos of people dressed as bushes jumping out to scare passersby might rack up millions of views, but they've crossed a disturbing line. When these pranksters target people walking their dogs, they could be causing real psychological harm to animals who have no framework to understand what's happening.

Chapters

• 0:00 Social Media Bush Pranks Gone Wrong
• 0:49 Why Dogs Can't Process Pranks
• 1:27 What To Do If Your Dog Gets Scared
• 3:16 Advocating For Safe, Prank-Free Walks

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Today I want to talk about something that, I'll admit it, made me pretty mad. You've probably seen the videos on social media. Somebody dresses up like a bush and then jumps out to scare people as they walk by. You know it's supposed to be funny, but I'll be honest, I don't see the humor funny, but I'll be honest, I don't see the humor. Well, anyway, one of these guys or girls, whoever it is, just posted a video doing these jump scares to people that were walking by with their dogs, and their dogs were obviously scared, shaken up, panicked, and it wasn't the least bit funny. Waken up, panicked and it wasn't the least bit funny. And here's why this is a big deal.

Speaker 1: 0:49

Dogs don't understand pranks. They don't get the whole it's all in good, fun part. All they know is that they were walking along minding their own business and boom, suddenly there was a loud, strange, scary thing jumping in their direction, with no warning and no true way to escape, and that moment of fear or panic can stick around. Remember, it only takes one bad scare for a dog to develop a lasting fear. And maybe now it's bushes, or maybe they link that fear to other dogs or people that they saw in the moment or to a certain street. The brain doesn't always store the cause neatly. It just remembers that feeling of fear and panic. And for a dog living in a busy area this can turn into a daily struggle. Fearful walks, sudden reactivity, pulling to avoid a spot or a bush shaking or shutting down, and you, the owner, left wondering what happened to your happy, confident dog. Now, I don't think the people walking by in these videos knew what was coming. I think they were victims too. But the dog has zero context and no way to just laugh it off and no understanding that it's not going to happen again.

Speaker 1: 2:24

So what can you do if this ever happens to you and your dog? First, try to remain as calm as you can Dogs will always look to you for cues on whether something is dangerous and then try to move away from the source as quickly as you can, but without dragging or panicking your dog even further. And then give your dog something else to focus on, maybe some treats, maybe a happy voice with some petting, maybe a few trick cues that he's really good at. As you try to keep moving in the opposite direction in the opposite direction, and later spend some time revisiting that area or that object in a safe, positive way. Don't just avoid it forever. Help your dog build back his confidence.

Speaker 1: 3:17

Don't just avoid it forever. Help your dog build back confidence and please, if you see someone planning to pull a stunt like this on dog walkers, speak up. They may not realize the long-term damage that they could do, but they need to hear it. You know, a prank may last five seconds for a human, but for a dog it could last a lifetime. For a human, but for a dog it could last a lifetime. So let's make sure our walks stay safe, peaceful and prank-free.