Dog owner thought stranger just wanted a picture of her cute pup — then he zoomed in on the dog’s collar, revealing a chilling motive

Taking your dog for a walk is usually a calm, routine activity, something you do without much thought. But for one woman, what started as a casual walk in the park quickly turned into a moment that tested her instincts. What seemed like a simple request from a stranger soon took a sharp turn when she noticed something odd and realized the real motive behind taking a picture of her dog.

As reported by iHeart, TikTok user Shey Greyson, also known as @heysheybae, posted a video in 2021 that caught attention for all the right reasons. In her video, Shey begins with, "Tell me about a time your quick thinking probably saved your life." She shares that two years earlier, she was walking her dog in the park when a man approached her and asked to take a photo of the dog. "I said yes because why not? It’s a picture of a dog," she said. But while he was taking the photo, Shey noticed he was holding up her dog’s collar, the one that had her home address printed on it.

Shey immediately got a bad feeling. "I told him that I actually didn’t feel comfortable with him having a picture of my dog," she recalled. The man deleted the photo and quickly started walking away, but Shey wasn’t convinced. "Excuse me, sir, could you also go into your deleted album and delete it from there?" she then asked again. He claimed not to have a deleted album. "I was like hmm… You have an iPhone, everybody has a deleted album," she said. It was around 2 p.m., and with other people nearby, Shey decided to follow him, determined to make sure the photo was truly gone.

In a second part of the video, Shey continues, "People in the park are like starting to look at us now because I’m chasing after a man, I'm telling him to stop walking." Eventually, the man stopped and acted like he deleted the image again. But when Shey asked to see the deleted album, he refused. "He shows me the album, and the picture was still there," she said. "So I made him delete it in front of my eyes." Looking back, she said, "What if I hadn’t noticed that he took a picture of my address? What if I went home that night, and he was outside waiting for me?" Her story is a reminder to always listen to your gut. 

The video instantly garnered immense attention, reaching more than 13.3 million views since its posting. Many viewers praised Shey's instincts and bravery. @serpentessss wrote in the comment section, "Thank god that you were so brave to actually speak to him. I would run away, probably. And then be scared for the next weeks." Meanwhile, @leling_ suggested, "Just a tip, my mom told me. Instead of the address, put his name (plus your last name) and your number and zip code. That’s all they need to get ahold of you."

For more interesting dog content, follow @heysheybae on TikTok.