Anyone who owns a dog will know they can pick up some surprisingly human habits, but one lurcher appeared to take copying his owner to another level.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Russell Jones was left £300 out of pocket after becoming concerned about his dog, Bill, who had suddenly started limping.
The timing was particularly unusual because Jones himself had a broken leg.
Footage shared online showed Jones making his way home on crutches with his right leg in a cast, while Bill walked alongside him with one of his paws raised from the ground, per Metro.
Naturally concerned that something was wrong with his pet, Jones took Bill to the vet and paid for examinations and X-rays.
But according to Jones, they couldn’t find anything physically wrong with him.
After sharing footage of their matching walks on Facebook, he wrote: “Cost me £300 in vet fees and X-rays, nothing wrong just sympathy. Love him.”
The clip quickly went viral, with many viewers interpreting Bill’s apparent imitation as an example of the close relationship dogs can develop with their owners.
Some described the moment as “pure love”, while others saw it as evidence of just how “in tune” animals can become with humans.
However, not everyone was convinced that Bill was simply putting on the limp to match his injured owner.
Clinical animal behaviourist Rosie Bescoby argued that the lurcher could genuinely have been experiencing pain despite nothing appearing on the X-ray.
“I would have suggested the owner seek a second opinion from another vet and there are plenty of things that would not show up on an X-ray that can cause this, even as small as a thorn in the foot,” she told MailOnline.
Bescoby also questioned the idea that Bill had spontaneously started limping purely because Jones was doing the same.
“It would be complete coincidence that the dog has shown this behaviour at the same time the owner is in a cast.
“Lurchers are not known for their bravery when it comes to pain, so it may be that something fairly minor was causing the issue but I am afraid myself and my colleagues will categorically state that this is not a happy dog.”
There is evidence that dogs can imitate humans, although previous research has involved animals being trained.
A 2011 University of Vienna study saw dogs trained to open a sliding door using either their head or paw before watching their human ‘pack leader’ perform the task.
Researchers found the dogs were more likely to imitate the method they had watched their human use.
Lead author Friederike Range said: “This suggests that, like humans, dogs are subject to ‘automatic imitation’.”
So while Jones’ £300 trip to the vet produced no obvious explanation for Bill’s limp, the viral footage has certainly divided opinion over what was really behind his unusual walk.
Featured image credit: Russell Jones/Facebook
