Pet Owner Catches Dog Having a Moment to Itself to Enjoy the Sunset

A pet owner has shared heartwarming footage of the moment she caught her dog enjoying a moment of reflection while looking at a sunset.

Nora Shertvitis of Melbourne, Australia, took to TikTok to share the magical 25-second clip of her pet pooch observing the world around him as the sun went down at an idyllic beach setting.

On a social media platform dominated by busy dogs either barking their way through the day or tearing it up outside or around the house, Shertvitis' video made for a refreshing change. The caption says the dog spent "30 minutes" watching the sunset, stock-still and evidently deep in thought.

Though the inner workings of the canine mind remain something of a mystery, it's clear there's more going on than most might realize. That was evident in a 2012 study published in the online journal PLOS One.

Two dogs were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging that was designed to monitor brain activity. Both had been trained to respond to hand signals, with a left hand pointing down signaling a hot dog treat. Both hands pointing down meant they would get nothing.

The researchers found that the "treat" hand signal caused the brain's caudate region, which is associated with reward and motivation, to light up in the dogs. There was no response when the "no treat" signal was made.

That brain region could be lighting up for Shertvitis' dog in the video, which was posted to TikTok under the handle govnora. The pooch certainly seems to be enjoying himself while watching the world around him.

He's not the first dog to be caught on camera taking in a view, but he's certainly among the most popular for doing so. The clip of the dog dreamily staring off into the distance has received close to a million views.

Theorizing about what might be going on inside the dog's head, one viewer wrote: "He's just thinking what a life this is." A second agreed, saying: "He's just out there on the sand thinking about how beautiful life is."

A third wrote: "He knows the joy in life is being present." A fourth suggested the dog was "slowly accepting the fact that life doesn't always go the way we want."

Another TikToker was left pondering: "Do you think dogs wonder about consciousness too?"

Some went even deeper. "He could be a human in the past life," one user said. Another suggested he was just "remembering his past lives."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.