Dog Refuses to Let Dad Participate in ‘Paws In’ Trend: ‘Girls Only’

It looks like this dog not only knows how to participate in the “hands in” challenge but she is even capable of making up her own rules.

The hilarious video shared by New York-based owner Caroline Scali (@carolinescali) has racked up over 14 million views on TikTok.

The footage captures Stella lying next to a man on an outdoors couch. Suddenly, two hands appear from each side of the camera and overlap each other. The man then tries to add his hand, but Stella swiftly intervenes by using her mouth to remove his hand and then placing her paw on top of the girls’.

“Stella said ‘girls only dad’ to the paws in trend,” states the on-screen text.

So far, the comical clip has racked up 3.5 million likes since it was shared on May 28.

In the comments, Stella is referred to as a “girl’s girl,” meaning she is supportive of other females. According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland, and the University of Newcastle in Australia, dogs can tell the difference between human genders.

Research published in 2020 found that canines can distinguish between human genders. They often react to men with more defensive aggression, including increased barking and gazing. This is because men and women interact with dogs differently, and dogs respond differently to each gender. Women typically talk more to dogs, use a high-pitched, excited voice, and engage with dogs sooner. They also display more encouraging behaviors, especially toward fearful dogs, exhibiting stronger caregiving tendencies.

These behaviors contribute to the human-dog attachment. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use punishment-based training methods and physically restrain their dogs.

At the time of writing, the video has received almost 4,000 comments.

“Stella is a girl’s girl,” praised one TikTok user in a comment with over 19,000 likes.

Another person called what Stella did “queen behavior.”

One commenter said what she believes Stella was thinking: “Get YOUR hand off MY girls”

“THE WAY SHE PUSHED IT OFF WITH HER TEETH,” a TikToker wrote.

“She’s like why is he even here,” another commenter posted.

Over the last few weeks, social media users around the world have been grabbing their pets to join in on the wholesome “hands in” trend. Many of these have gone viral based on how the dog reacts to completing the task alone.

Newsweek previously spoke to dog owner Henna Tauriainen, who explained that she took part in the challenge after seeing a theory on why dogs like to get involved.

“If your dog puts hands in, he apparently feels like he belongs to the family,” she said.

Newsweek reached out to @carolinescali for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.

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