Woman suspected her dog was pregnant when she behaved strange and circled her ‘like a shark’ – but vet instead asked owner to take a pregnancy test

Sometimes, life has a way of surprising us in the most unexpected ways. One TikTok user, Riley, also known as @rileygaines, recently narrated a touching and rather unusual story on her TikTok, which quickly caught the attention of many. In a series of clips, she described how her dog’s odd behavior led to a life-changing discovery that left her both shocked and amused. When her pet dog suddenly started acting "weird" around her, Riley called the vet to discuss the symptoms, only to discover that it wasn’t her dog who needed attention at all.

Earlier this year, Riley noticed her dog acting differently around her. "She would constantly paw at or lay her head on my belly, sit on my feet, circle me 'like a shark', and guard me from our two male dogs," Riley explained in the video. At first, she thought it was simply a sign of affection, but the strange behavior started to make her feel that things weren’t right. "Don't get me wrong, I thought it was sweet, but I thought her sudden protective instinct meant something was wrong with her. The only other time she acted like this to me was when she was pregnant with her puppies," she recalled, thinking that perhaps her dog was sensing something in her own life.

Unsure of what to make of it, Riley reached out to her vet. After hearing about the unusual behavior, the vet had a surprising response. "He just laughed and asked me if I had taken a pregnancy test recently, and sure enough," Riley shared with a smile, holding up a clip of a positive test result. It turned out her dog had figured it out before she did. Riley was pregnant. "She knew all along," Riley said.

Riley then shared, "Now I'm 35 weeks pregnant," and her dog continues to show her nurturing side. "She definitely likes the frequent naps and extra table food scraps that come [sic] with eating for two," Riley said, smiling at her furry friend. As she looks forward to the arrival of her baby, Riley reflects on the special bond between her dog and her unborn child. "When people ask who was the first to find out we were expecting, I tell them it was our dog...and then she told us," she opened up. "Our baby girl is already loved and looked after more than she will ever know."

The wholesome video instantly went viral, garnering more than 1.3 million views and thousands of comments. Many internet users flooded the comment section with warm messages. @rileygmitchell wrote, "This is the cutest thing ever. Your baby has a built-in best friend!" @user6504392437261 remarked, "From the first comment, I knew you were pregnant! I had a Rottweiler who was the same way, and she loved and protected me and my son until her dying day!" @kera.realtor recounted, "Before I knew I was pregnant, my very unaffectionate and mean cat would not stay off of my stomach and purring. Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. She slept on my belly the entire time."

For more endearing dog content, follow @rileygaines on TikTok.