You know that feeling when your favorite person leaves the room and the world suddenly loses all meaning? Yeah — that’s Barney, every single time his dad steps out without him. In a video posted by @thebarnstable, the floppy-eared drama king takes “separation anxiety” to Shakespearean levels.
The video opens with Barney, the Australian Shepherd, snuggled up next to his dad on the bed, clearly in his happy place. But the second the front door closes, everything unravels. His mom, who’s filming, sums it up perfectly: “My dog is traumatized every time his dad leaves.”
Dog deals with ‘separation anxiety’ after dad leaves in video
This wildly funny clip has already garnered over 17,000 likes. “So, my dog doesn’t like it when his dad goes anywhere without him,” his mom narrates as the video begins. And honestly, that’s putting it mildly. The video cuts to Barney howling by the door — it’s the kind that carries a broken heart in it like a tragic soundtrack.
“It’s a bit annoying,” she admits, laughing. “I’m still in the house with him, so it’s not even like he’s alone.” But Barney isn’t buying it. He looks back at her, unimpressed — as if she’s a poor stand-in for the real deal.
Once the mourning phase is over, he moves into what Mom calls “menace mode.” We see him on the couch with a straw hat in his mouth and barely-contained mischief in his eyes. “I’m not sure if this is a coping mechanism to soothe himself,” she says, “but it’s definitely at the expense of my sanity.” In the next shot, he’s bolted down the hallway, hat still in tow, while she tries (and fails) to reclaim it.
By the finale, Barney’s standing with the hat covering his entire face — chaos and comedy. His mom jokes, “He’s in separation anxiety therapy, but progress is questionable.” Judging by the comments like, “Hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’ve been downgraded to spare human”, fans agree — Dad’s the favorite human, and Barney’s not afraid to show it.
