Murphy the Golden Retriever thought he could trust his owner, but all it took was one lemon for his owner to break that trust in this hilarious video from Instagram user @keepinupwithmurphy. The Golden Retriever is sitting patiently, minding his own business. But he is unaware that whatever is about to happen to him will change his entire worldview — all because his owner offers him a slice of lemon.
Golden Retriever goes viral for his reaction to a lemon
The video shows the Golden Retriever’s instant reaction to the lemon. The owner comes to him and asks, “Do you want a lemon?” Of course he does. After all, he trusts his owner for a good treat. But then Murphy gives it a taste and immediately pulls his lips back, as if he is asking, “What is this?”
Meanwhile, the owner waits a few seconds to let Murphy process the sour taste, then tosses the lemon into the air, prompting Murphy to catch it out of pure reflex. A moment later, he just sits there with the lemon still in his mouth, looking at his owner in utter disbelief.
The caption puts the dog’s surprise into words, as it reads, “Happy Throwback Thursday to when my humans tried to trick me into eating this sour yellow thing! ??”
It helps to know that dogs are wired to react strongly to foods with intense taste, especially bitter and sour foods, as their taste buds treat those sharp flavors as warning signs of something unripe or toxic. If Murphy has not spent much time around lemons, that intense sour punch can feel like a sudden change he cannot fathom.
Additionally, that immediate frozen stare toward the owner is Murphy checking in with his trusted human to see why they would ever hand him something so offensive — and the reaction is honestly valid.
