Puppy Adorable First Encounter with Shag Rug

Quick Smiles:

• Maltese puppy Milo encounters a shag rug for the first time
• Owner Brian Fossati shares the adorable video on Reddit
• Milo’s confusion and curiosity bring joy to thousands of viewers

A Maltese puppy named Milo recently had the most delightful reaction to seeing a fluffy rug for the first time, and the charming moment was caught on camera by his owner, Brian Fossati from Denver, Colorado. Fossati shared the video on Reddit, jokingly captioning it with “Does not compute.”

My puppy's first time seeing a shag rug. Does not compute.
byu/Bibs222 inaww

Fossati explained to Newsweek that they had rolled up the rug and put it away until Milo was sufficiently pee pad trained. The video was taken after Milo had been with the family for a couple of weeks and they felt he was trained enough not to pee on the rug. This was the first time Milo had seen the rug and the biggest change he had experienced in their home.

In the video, Milo appears both curious and confused by the new floor covering. He initially seems happy to walk on it, but then stops, turns back, and almost does a double take as if in disbelief at the rug’s appearance. At one point, he looks tempted to roll on the shag but stops himself. He then appears to wrestle with the rug as if it were alive before turning his attention elsewhere.

Anxiety is common among canines, with a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports finding that 72.5 percent of 13,700 dogs examined exhibited at least one anxiety-related behavior. Fossati believes Milo was trying to process what the rug was and if it was the same thing as him.

The video was actually filmed around three years ago when Milo first joined the Fossati family. Brian shared that his wife wanted a Maltese, so they adopted Milo through the American Kennel Club. Some of Milo’s favorite things include puzzles, learning tricks, chewing on bully sticks, and snuggling.

At the time of writing, Milo’s reaction to the rug had been upvoted over 8,000 times, which surprised Fossati. He said, “I actually have a ton of footage of him and his various antics, among all the stuff I have I really didn’t expect this video to be the one that blows up.”

Three years have passed, but both Milo and the shag rug remain beloved parts of the family. Fossati revealed, “Fun fact: he has never had an accident on it and we still have the rug in our house today.”

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