Since children are capable of some of the most authentic displays of emotion, it is thus hard to react in any way other than pure empathy and consolation when you see a kid with a huge frown on his face.
The same applies to dogs. You know that when a dog is sad, you can’t help but feel like you have to shower it with more love than you usually do and proceed to do everything you can to make it feel better.
Meet Big Poppa, the 3-year-old English bulldog from Atlanta, Georgia who took the world by storm because he was having the lockdown blues.
The lockdown blues are apparently affecting more than just us human beings.
Big Poppa’s hooman Rashida Ellis, a television and film costume designer with whom Bored Panda got in touch for an interview, recently uploaded a photo to Pop’s Instagram and her Twitter of him staring down at some kids playing basketball from their 6th floor patio with an extremely sad frown on his face.
The pup has been trying to get the kids’ attention, but couldn’t as he was too far away for them to hear, and social distancing is making it impossible to meet humans at all at this point. You see, he loves being among kids, adults, and other dogs as he gets a chance to play and gets pets. So lockdown is hard for the little dude.
Meet Big Poppa, the 3-year-old English bulldog whose lockdown frown has taken the world by storm.
A photo of Big Poppa being sad he couldn’t go outside and play has been making rounds on the internet.
“[The sadness] started during the lockdown because Pop would usually go outside and play with some of the children in the courtyard every day and also multiple people would pet him when we walk,” explained Ellis. “Ever since the lockdown, none of this happens and he tries to get their attention from the patio, but ends up defeated.”
She also explained that the lockdown has made Big Poppa a little sluggish and he sleeps much more than he used to. She could tell that he is not as happy and excited as he usually would be. So it’s completely unlike him to feel this way.
Seeing his frown, the internet melted and responded with heaps of love for Big Poppa on Twitter and Instagram
Rashida Ellis, Pop’s owner, said that he’s a very upbeat and sociable dog, so he misses all of the interaction
The photo of sad Pop went viral as soon as the photo hit the internet. Everyone began empathizing with Big Poppa and sending him lots of love, leaving Ellis quite surprised: “I was very surprised, I woke up like ‘what has happened?’ It makes me feel good that Poppa is receiving so much love. I love sharing him with the world.” And the world loves him being shared with them.
In just one day, Ellis’ tweet garnered over 650,000 likes with 72,500 retweets. Big Poppa’s Instagram also got some love with the photo receiving over 21,000 likes and nearly a thousand comments.
In just one day, Big Poppa’s photo managed to get over 650,000 likes on Twitter alone
And don’t worry, he was cheered up in the end, but he definitely can’t wait for lockdown to be over
Don’t worry, Pop has since been cheered up. Not only has the internet sent its huge love to him, but Ellis was also on the case as she has several things she does whenever he is down: “I sing songs and dance. We take extra walks. I also tell him to come sit with me and feed him treats. He likes to be fed!”
To end it on a positive note, we asked Ellis to tell us about some of Big Poppa’s favorite toys and snacks. She said this: “He loves Kong dog toys that are filled with peanut butter and he loves oversized childrens’ stuffed animals. That’s his favorite. He also is a huge fan of doggy ice cream.”
What are your thoughts on this? Does the photo make you feel like you want to give Big Poppa a huge hug? Let us know in the comments section below!
The internet sent loads of love to Big Poppa to cheer him up