Rescued Greyhound Delights Internet With Her Hilarious Sleeping Position

A dog named Belle has left the internet in stitches after footage of her sleeping in an "awkward" position on her owner's sofa went viral.

The video, shared on TikTok on Saturday by the pooch's owner under the username Belle.the.roach, shows the greyhound sleeping upside down on the living room couch, with her paws in the air and face half covered by a pillow.

Greyhounds sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day, although they aren't in full REM sleep for the entire time. They have a deep sleep cycle of just 20 minutes before they wake up gradually and fall back to sleep again.

"Roaching" is a common sleeping position for greyhounds, where they lay flat on their backs with all four legs in the air, much like a dead cockroach. According to AZ Greyhounds, it's a perfectly normal position for dogs with longer legs.

Their long legs make it difficult for them to tuck themselves up, and it also allows them to cool themselves down on hotter days, as their skin and fur are thinnest on their underside, exposing their blood vessels next to their vital organs. Letting the air get to their belly cools their blood faster.

Some greyhounds also sleep with their eyes open, which is usually nothing to worry about and usually down to their individual personality, although sometimes it could be a defense mechanism.

This is because their instinct is always to be alert if they don't feel entirely comfortable in their surroundings. It is also a sign that they're not completely asleep and will notify you if you try to sneak past them, hoping not to wake them up.

The owner's profile description explains that the greyhound was rescued and is now their official "pro couch potato," in its new forever home in Switzerland.

The video quickly attracted animal lovers from across the platform, and it has so far received over 267,700 views and 16,400 likes.

One user, itsplutoswrld, commented: "THIS IS SO CUTE." And Pet Home said: "it looks awkward." JoanneV wrote: "Oh my baby Jesus .. what a beautiful set of paws."

Another user, Daniela, said: "Sleeping like she worked a double shift last night, came home..cleaned the whole house, cooked dinner, then passed out." And Michelle Codrington, added: "Living the life."

Michelle Joyner563 joked: "Said she had a time last night." And another user, Patricia Aleman, added: "Gee pup, I wish I was [you] right about now."

Newsweek reached out to Belle.the.roach for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.