An Instagram video from @indianadogmom shows two dogs taking their places by the window because the train is coming, and they refuse to miss it. The hilarious clip features Shiloh, a Border Aussie, and River, a German Shepherd, standing shoulder to shoulder at a tall glass window, staring hard to the right as if they can already see the engine turning the corner. They look like two little kids waiting for something big to roll by.
Mimicking train whistle is part of dogs’ routine
Onscreen text gushes, “I love that this happens twice a day,” while the caption asks viewers to “Wait for the aroooooooo.” The dogs in the video don’t wait long because a train soon slides into view and lets out a long whistle.
River treats it like a personal invitation, lifts her head, and howling back at the sound of the whistle with confidence, like he is answering roll call. Meanwhile, the Border Aussie watches for a beat — then turns to look back at her owner with a face that says, “What are we even doing here?” Moments later, she steps away from the window, leaving River to handle her solo performance.
Viewers couldn’t get enough of the two very different reactions, with one commenter noting Shiloh’s expression with, “The border collie. She literally said ‘does he HAVE to do this EVVVVVVERY TIME?!’” Another added, “The black and white dog looked at you like he’s gonna do it isn’t he?” And for River’s big howl, a viewer joked, “Shepherd: Is that the best you’ve got? Listen to my horn, I mean howl.”
There was also a surprisingly sweet thread from dog owners who recognized the routine, with one informing, “My dogs howl at the weekly tornado test.” And it checks out, because dogs often howl at loud and steady sounds, including sirens, instruments, and train whistles — just like in this video. Another video from the page shows that this has practically become Shiloh and River’s tradition — the train blows its horn, River sings, and Shiloh immediately bails.
