A video of a retired British greyhound dog with a wide “goofy” smile has gone viral on TikTok, where it received 195,000 views at the time of writing.
The video was shared in a post from the dog’s TikTok account (username goofylenny), which got over 31,000 likes and nearly 600 comments.
When user 𝙠𝙞𝙢 ☰ asked, “what was lenny’s racing name i need to know!!!!!!,” the original poster replied, “It was Lanky Len then later changed to Morning Live Len.”
As undeniably smiley as the pooch in the latest TikTok video may be, can dogs really smile?
According to a November 2017 study published in the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports, “dogs display specific discriminatory facial movements in response to different emotional stimuli, but do not display similar facial movements to humans when reacting to emotionally comparable contexts.”
The study explained that most “basic facial muscles are similar between humans and dogs,” sharing primary functions unrelated to facial expression such as the orbicularis oculi muscle (which closes the eye to protect the eye) or the zygomaticus major (which draws the lips back to facilitate feeding).
“However, when it comes to emotional expression, dogs do not seem to make use of their muscles in the same way that humans do,” per the study.
The type of smile displayed by Lenny in the latest TikTok video—described as the “Play Face” or the Relaxed Open Mouth (ROM), where you see an open mouth with the lower teeth exposed—is considered “a social communicative signal for play solicitation,” inviting others to play with them, the study said.
The dog in the latest TikTok video delighted users, with many swooning over the “adorable” dog called Lenny and its “beautiful” smile.
User nibbles89 wrote, “awwwww sooooo adorable teeth smile [multiple floating hearts smiley face emojis],” while user Jimbowhat said Lenny has “a perfect smile.”
Daphne said, “Such a beautiful smile!”, while user129834056 remarked, “So beautiful I just can’t [eyes closed/mouth open emoji and heart-shaped eyes emoji].”
Tracy said: “Puts a smile on my face every time he pops up in my feed [smiley face emoji].”
User glassslipperzzz commented that the dog is “absolutely too precious [two floating hearts smiley face emojis].”
Laura Brooker520 added, “He’s gorgeous!!,” and user9955312913808 remarked, “Awww Lenny you little darling [several floating hearts smiley face emojis].”
Yolanda Jane Louise wrote: “You know what, Lenny? All the best dogs have overbites. My old Labrador has an overbite [floating hearts smiley face emoji].”
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