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Jun 25, 2023

Dog Clutching Sully Toy While Watching 'Monsters, Inc.' Melts Hearts

A video of a dog seemingly obsessed with his plush toy has gone viral on TikTok. The video, posted by Emma (@emtok_tok), had 3.4 million views at the time of writing. The footage features a

A video of a dog seemingly obsessed with his plush toy has gone viral on TikTok.

The video, posted by Emma (@emtok_tok), had 3.4 million views at the time of writing. The footage features a black-coated dog that appears to be a cross between a cane corso and an Italian mastiff, according to hashtags shared with the post.

The pup is shown laying on a bed while watching a scene from the Monsters, Inc. film, which is playing on a television screen opposite the bed. The dog is seen clutching a doll version of the Sully character from the Pixar animation film.

A caption shared with the post reads: "Been waiting to show him Monsters Inc. since he fell in love with his Sully toy."

Pet owners in the U.S. spent a total of $136.8 billion on their companion animals in 2022, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA).

A 2015 survey by the APPA shows that the average dog owner spends $50 a year on toys for their pups, according to a 2016 Psychology Today article by Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the author of several books about dogs.

The pup's apparent attachment to his Sully toy in the latest clip could be down to a novelty factor, according to a November 2012 study conducted with Labrador retrievers.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Animal Cognition, said "domestic dogs are reported to show intense but transient neophilia [a love for all things new] towards novel objects."

The study found that "loss of interest in the object during object-orientated play in this species is due to habituation to the overall stimulus properties of the toy rather than to any single sensory modality."

In an article for VCA, one of North America's largest animal hospital chains, veterinarians Dr. Debra Horwitz and Dr. Gary Landsberg explained: "Novel and highly desirable objects, such as a tissue that has been stolen from a garbage can, a favorite toy, human food, or a piece of rawhide are some of the items that dogs may aggressively protect."

Been waiting to show him Monsters Inc since he fell in love with his Sully toy 🥰 #fyp #monstersinc #canecorso #puppy #italianmastiff

Several TikTok users have swooned over the pup's obsession in the latest viral clip.

User Truglam_01 wrote: "Omg my heart just melts seeing him hug his toy."

User jordin<3 said: "I'm crying," while Patricia Vasquez Jeff Craigen simply wrote: "My heart."

Laurie Ann Margret C said: "This just melted my heart & made me so happy. What an absolute doll. So darn cute."

DIVA noted: "This is how all pets should live! Bless you!"

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.