She worried her German Shepherd had no doggie friends at day care — then the camera showed something that broke her heart

A dog owner struggled to accept that her pet was not making any friends at the daycare boarding. Kate Smith, who goes by @katelivingoutloud on TikTok, resorted to desperate measures to keep an eye on her dog and tuned into the daycare camera every day. It was heartbreaking for her to watch her German Shepherd, Mace, fail at bonding with fellow pups at the facility. Later, when she talked to one of the dog trainers, Smith realized that Mace was not an ordinary pet. 

“I was taking him to this daycare boarding facility because I was traveling a lot, and I was working a lot,” the owner said in a viral clip with 747,500 views. She explained that the daycare had camera setups that allowed dog owners to ensure all the pets were being watched at all times. Smith shared that her heart sank when she watched Mace playing with his doggy friends at the daycare. When she first began dropping him off there, the dog had no friends. Mace tried his best to play with the other dogs, but they simply would not engage and walked away from him. 

Smith admitted, “I got so defensive and weird, obsessing over these videos.” She realized that she was taking it too personally and took a break from watching the daycare videos. Once when she came over to pick Mace up from the daycare, Smith was surprised to find out that Mace was more of a teacher’s pet—literally. One of the dog trainers told Smith, “He doesn’t even like to play with the other dogs. He just likes to hang out with the trainers.” Mace spent more time following the trainers around than making furry friends at the daycare. “I was so sad and so stressed,” the owner mused. 

Fortunately, the stars aligned for him, and Mace eventually made friends with an Australian Shepherd and a Golden Doodle once they started coming in. “They were three little hyperactive weirdos, and I was so happy,” Smith exclaimed. The post received an outpouring of love and support from viewers. “Not him becoming friends with the other ADHD kids,” said @kimberly.mae25. A fellow pet owner (@literarymarvel) shared a similar insight. “Mine was the bully, and I was so disappointed.” “That is your biological son. I don’t know how, but he is,” quipped @paradoxical.bee. 

Since dogs have a reputation for being friendly and social, it may be surprising when a dog is naturally introverted, shy, or antisocial. PawPals Daycare reports that anti-social behavior in dogs is often a result of how they were raised or a traumatic experience in their life. Chandra Vail, a dog trainer and Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for the American Kennel Club in Las Vegas, explained that puppies should be socialized from birth by their parents or breeders. “Once owners obtain a puppy, they should continue to socialize them around other dogs starting at 8 to 10 weeks of age,” she said. Dog parks are also a great option to encourage your pet to socialize with other pups. 

You can follow @katelivingoutloud on TikTok for more videos.