The act of this dog will shake you up. It’s unbelievable. VIDEO

Last January, the story of this dog, who began limping to imitate his owner, sparked a strong reaction. But are dogs really capable of imitating our behavior? And why do they behave that way? Today we return to this incredible story to try to understand it.

A funny story about crutches

The story of Billy limping along with his owner on crutches quickly spread on social media and the media around the world. One day Russell, a Londoner in his forties, realized that his greyhound Billy was starting to limp and that his own leg was in a cast. On the set of the British show “Morning,” he explained that he had observed this behavior shortly after an accident in which he broke his ankle. Worried about his dog, Russell and his wife went to the vet to have him examined. While at first, he suspected a problem with the animal’s paw, in the end, the vet found nothing out of the ordinary.

But what was Billy suffering from?

The x-ray showed no abnormalities that could explain Billy’s limp, so what could the dog be suffering from? Well, the vet made an incredible discovery: as soon as his owner stepped away from him, Billy’s limp disappeared. So he concluded that Billy was simply mimicking his master’s gait. Although he elicited compassion, it was difficult to understand the reason that drove the greyhound to do such an act. Thus, if the story ended safely, Russell still had to pay £300 for examinations by the vet while his dog pretended to be lame. This story greatly amused the whole world and even more so, because that’s exactly what Russell wanted!

Can dogs imitate us?

According to a study conducted by Austrian researchers, dogs are capable of mimicry. Among the tests conducted, one of them was to receive treatment. Half of the ten dogs had to open a sliding door in the same way as their owner, who had the choice of opening it with his hand or his head. The other half got a treat when they did the opposite of what their owner did. Well, suddenly all the dogs were imitating their master, even if it meant not getting a treat. It is also not uncommon to see funny videos of dogs imitating, for example, small children dragging themselves on the ground. This is called the “mirror neuron effect.” These are specific neurons that allow imitation. This behavior is completely natural.