This Instagram video from @goldenboy.brooks proves that Brooks the Golden Retriever will do everything to protect you, except if there is a ladybug nearby. In the clip, Brooks’ owner holds a tiny ladybug in her palm and moves the camera toward her dog to capture his reaction.
Throughout the video, Brooks is just standing there, squirming, pacing, and giving the kind of side-eye that says, “Please remove this immediately.” The clip even spells it out with an on-screen caption that says, “He is absolutely disgusted by this precious ladybug’s presence.”
Golden Retriever wants to get far away from ‘ladybug’s presence’
In the video, the Golden Retriever acts like the ladybug is personally offending him. The caption jokes, “Wouldn’t hurt a fly, but ladybugs aren’t welcome here,” which appears to be a perfect summary of Brooks’ whole reaction in the moment. He is a gentle soul, but with hard boundaries against ladybugs.
Viewers were right there with him. One person admitted, “I feel the same way,” while another pointed out a possible reason Brooks wanted no part of it, noting, “Ladybugs also smell funky.” And one commenter offered another possible explanation that makes you understand the dramatic pacing a little more, writing, “Animals can actually get infestations of them inside their mouths. They also bite. So honestly I don’t blame him.”
As much as the Golden Retriever’s reaction in the video looks like pure judgment, there is a decent explanation for it. Dogs experience the world with their nose, and ladybugs can release a strong-smelling defensive fluid when they feel stressed — which, to a dog, might register as a chemical warning sign.
Hence, that tiny, harmless, crawling bug might cause a dog to panic. And Brooks is definitely not a fan of ladybugs, so he will do everything in his power to avoid them.
