It’s a common sight to see dogs patiently waiting for their humans outside a shop. However, it’s starting to get a bit old fashioned, isn’t it?
Nowadays, you see dogs in handbags, dogs on chairs at the table, dogs in offices, and for most people, the sight of a happy dog brightens up their day considerably.
Of course, if it’s store policy to not let the dog in, then fair enough really. Some dogs get easily overexcited in such places.
However, if it’s absolutely pouring down, and the poor little fella is tied to a post outside, have a heart.
Like this guy:
An Iceland employee in Belfast ran out in torrential rain to help a dog who was tied to a post.
The selfless store worker, 19-year-old Luke Carlin, couldn’t move the dog under shelter, so he took a coat out and covered the dog as best he could.
The heart-warming moment was captured by a passerby, Stephen, who filmed the kind gesture from his car.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Luke said:
The owner was just nipping into the chemist, then all of a sudden the rain started. Me, and a girl who works with me, saw the dog, so we agreed to put the jacket over it.
Then shortly after, another girl from my work brought the dog out of the rain.
The reaction has been so crazy I thought it would have maybe peaked at a few hundred likes on the video when I first initially seen it. [sic]
Stephen, who filmed the moment without Luke knowing, said:
It’s been crazy how fast it went viral and I didn’t expect it in anyway, but I guess it shows how much people appreciate a genuine act of kindness no matter what it is!
Another dog left outside on its own was caught on camera recently by a cautious driver, who spotted the canine sensibly using the zebra crossing to make its way across the road.
Brilliant dashcam footage shows the unaccompanied animal waiting patiently at the side of a road, by a zebra crossing, waiting until the road was clear and it could cross safely.
Presumably having spotted the lone canine waiting at the side of the road, the driver with the camera came to a halt in front of the designated crossing.
The dog takes a couple of steps towards the road, but makes sure to check the other lane of oncoming traffic, before stepping out.
Check it out below:
While most dash-cam footage we’re used to seeing usually involves traffic accidents, road rage or ridiculous attempts at insurance scams, it’s refreshing to this – an excellent example of road safety.
When dogs are this clever, it’s no surprise they’re out wandering the streets on their own. They obviously don’t need a human to walk with them or show them the way.
However, it does raise the age-old question of ‘why did the dog cross the road’.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.