Rottweiler Turns Into 'An Office Manager' When Mom Doesn't Answer Her Work Phone
To many people, a ringing phone demands to be answered. It's a sound that must be silenced quickly, and apparently, it can trigger a similar reaction in dogs, too, like one dignified rottweiler named Dave. This pup had a hilarious reaction to his home phone that rang three times after all the humans in the room ignored it. A clip of the incident was shared on TikTok in November 2025. "They wanted to show me what my dad's dog does when my mom doesn't answer her work phone in time," the text overlay reads.
@homie3roticism his name is dave btw
The clip opens with two people seated at a table as a phone rings. They act as if they don't hear it, but when the camera pans to Dave sitting a few feet away, it's clear he can't tune it out. He stares at the humans, as if wondering, "Aren't you gonna get that? Why are you just sitting there?" The phone rings again, and still they don't respond. This brings Dave on all fours as he takes a step closer to the phone. He looks at the phone, then back at the humans. When the phone rings a third time, Dave decides he's had enough. He lifts his head up and howls. The phone seems to have stopped ringing at this point, but Dave continues to howl.
"Dave was born to be an office manager," one viewer said. "Employee of the year," another said. Thousands of others either liked or commented on the video, with many pointing out Dave's facial reaction to the ignored ringing phone.
Why do dogs howl at ringing phones?
While it's easy to conclude that Dave howled because he was sick of hearing the phone ring, that likely wasn't the case. It turns out that howling is an instinctual behavior in dogs inherited from their wolf ancestors. In the wild, it was a way to communicate across long distances or respond to other pack members. Today, dogs howl to express themselves, call attention to something, or react to certain sounds that resemble social calls or high-pitched noise triggers, like a ringing phone.
Certain ringtones can also hit frequencies that are especially noticeable to dogs, similar to how sirens or musical notes trigger howling in some breeds. Some animal behavior experts think dogs may howl simply because the sound is new, repetitive, or interruptive, prompting them to respond as they would to another dog calling out. Regardless of Dave's reason, we can all agree that he's earned the title of "phone police" with his reaction. Want to read more about howling behavior in dogs? Check out why dogs howl when they hear music or how to stop your dog from howling when you leave.