‘Stubborn’ Saint Bernard Completely Ignoring His Owner Delights Internet

A hilarious video of a Saint Bernard refusing to get up and go outside has delighted viewers on TikTok and gained over 146,000 likes.

In the video posted by @saint.in.the.city, the huge dog called Midas can be seen lying on the floor with his leash attached while his owner tries everything to get him to rise and go for a walk.

The text says, “When my stubborn St. Bernard decides to ignore me,” while the caption simply reads, “We run on Midas time.”

Midas’ owner can be seen trying to lift up the dog’s head, plying him with treats and giving him a gentle nudge on the backside, but he lazily flops onto his side.

After exhausting almost all her options, the owner tries an unconventional technique: bringing a room divider toward him. Something suggests that the poster has tried this unusual technique before, because it worked.

Eventually, the owner and her dog leave the house, and in the last scene Midas is trotting along in the park and enjoying himself.

“This is what St Bernard’s do lol,” commented one user.

Saint Bernards can weigh up to 180 pounds and live for up to 10 years. As documented in the video, they are known for being somewhat lazy at times. This is a far cry from their old occupation: saving lives.

Beginning in the early 18th century, monks living in a dangerous place known as St. Bernard Pass, high up in the western Alps between Italy and Switzerland, kept the dogs to help them rescue people after severe snowstorms. Located more than 8,000 feet above sea level, St. Bernard Pass is about 49 miles long and was sometimes deadly.

Around 1050, an Augustine monk named St. Bernard of Menthon founded a hospice and monastery on the pass that would help travelers, according to an online article in Smithsonian magazine. Saint Bernards were used for their great strength, sense of smell and direction and tolerance for the cold to rescue people lost in the snow.

For nearly 200 years, it is estimated that around 2,000 people, from lost travelers to Napoleon’s soldiers, were rescued by the dogs. One particularly famous Saint Bernard, named Barry, who lived at the monastery from 1800 to 1812, saved the lives of more than 40 people, according to the magazine. In 1815, Barry’s body was put on display at the Natural History Museum in Berne, Switzerland, where it can be seen today.

Newsweek has reached out to @saint.in.the.city via email for comment.

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