Every dog parent thinks they’ve survived the hardest part once the puppy phase is over — until their small ball of fur turns into a full-blown teenager. Just ask the human behind @lifewithpoeboy, who’s been documenting life with Poe, their American Bulldog. The video starts off innocently enough — puppy Poe bouncing around, all wrinkles and energy — and you can almost hear his owner thinking, “We’ll get through this.” Spoiler alert: they didn’t. Or at least, not unscathed.
Just when you think the chaos has peaked, the “teenage stage” hits, and everything gets louder, wilder, and infinitely funnier. As his human captioned it perfectly, “It’s been a ride.”
Owner says journey with Bulldog has ‘been a ride’ in video
The video has struck a chord with thousands of dog parents online, racking up over 39.6k likes — and it’s easy to see why. Poe’s “greatest hits” montage is both chaos and comedy gold. We first see him as a pup, chewing through crate wires like it’s a snack, wrestling with the garden hose, and taking his leash hostage during a walk. You think, “Okay, that’s manageable.”
Then comes the infamous “Teenage stage”—and as the video shows, it only gets bouncier, louder, and messier! We see Poe bursting with energy, jumping through the snow, and running around at top speed. In one truly silly moment, he’s caught with a wheel toy hilariously around his snout, still determined to chew it. He even lies upside down on the couch, looking utterly goofy. And when his human offers him a treat? Let’s just say he takes their whole hand along with it.
The comments section is basically one big support group for parents of “teenage dogs.” One viewer wrote, “I hear teenage stage lasts until like six for pitties and bullies,” followed by a collective gasp from other dog owners. Someone else joked, “Wait, nooo — don’t say this. I’ve been praying!” And maybe the most relatable of all: “Puppy stage actually wasn’t so bad. Teenage stage is brutal. But he’s so cute.” True, with a face like Poe’s, forgiveness comes fast.
