A senior dog has hit upon a genius way of getting up and down the stairs with little to no effort required.
Mrs. Jingles, a 15-year-old Jack Russell, lives on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. with her owner Kerrie. In a video posted to her TikTok, @animals_and_other_family, Kerrie revealed the novel way her creaky canine has been getting around the house.
Kerrie, who kept her surname private, told Newsweek that, for the most part, age is just a number for Mrs. Jingles in her day-to-day life. “Her back legs aren’t so good anymore, but she still loves playing on the beach,” she said. “She loves her orange ball, which she carries everywhere, and her favorite treat which is fresh chicken. She can really pick up speed when the fridge opens.”
That eagerness to get about has seen Mrs. Jingles take to hopping on the stair lift they have installed in the family home. In the clip shared to social media, Mrs. Jingles can be seen descending the stairs on the device, only too happy to avoid the hassle of doing it for herself.
“When you can’t use the stairs anymore … Mrs. Jingles age 15 accepts this mission,” an on-screen caption reads.
Kerrie posted the video of Mrs. Jingles because she is proud of her pet and the adorable things she does. “I love her and want to share that with others,” she said. “I also really enjoy the dog community on TikTok.”
The way our dogs look at the world changes with age. A 2020 study published in the journal Scientific Reports highlighted this with a piece of research analyzing the personality traits of 217 border collies aged from 6 months to 15 years. Attentiveness and problem solving appeared to improve up until the age of 6 but remained stable afterward, while curiosity was found to decline among dogs from the age of 3.
While activity levels, perhaps unsurprisingly, decreased with age, a dogs’ ability to tolerate frustration stayed at a similar level as did their eagerness to socialize.
The dog community on TikTok has embraced Mrs. Jingles’ new way of getting around the house.
At the time of writing, the clip of the veteran Jack Russell using the stair lift has been watched more than 310,000 times with viewers applauding the senior dog’s approach.
“This is precious,” one wrote. “My 17-year-old pug needs this.” A second viewer thought it was “so lovely knowing that they understand they need help to get up and down the stairs.”
A third commented, “My 17 year old Chihuahua needs this. I carry him up and down,” with a fourth adding: “oh sweet senior girl. your parents love you soooo much.”
Kerrie said she hopes that this video and the many others she posts of Mrs. Jingles convey her firm belief that “senior dogs matter.”
“They’ve been loyal and loving all their lives, and now we need to cherish and take care of them in their old age,” she said. Kerrie added that she believes there are shelters everywhere brimming with dogs like Mrs. Jingles who deserve a chance to see out their golden years in a happy, loving home.
“They have so much love to give,” Kerrie said. “A young pup is wonderful, but to have earned the love of an old dog is a special thing.”
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.
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