A woman resting in her room was caught off guard when a long, wavering howl from her puppy pierced through the walls, a sound she had never heard from him before.
Owner Joannie told Newsweek via Instagram that she and her husband recently welcomed home a Cavapoo—a mix between a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a poodle. The couple fell in love with the pup, Midnight, after he resembled their previous dog who was with Joannie for 14 years before passing in 2021.
Now, after a few months with their 6-month-old puppy, the couple has a morning routine where Joannie will play with Midnight while her husband gets ready for work. She’ll go back into her room to get a bit more rest, hoping Midnight doesn’t realize she’s still home. However, a recent morning stopped her in her tracks after she heard an unexpected sound from Midnight.
“While I was in the room, I suddenly heard him howl, which caught me by surprise,” she said. “I then checked the CCTV playback and saw him sitting there howling after my husband left.”
Joannie shared the pet camera footage to the Instagram account @helloomidnight on February 13, which captured the pup sitting in his pen, pacing before appearing to accept the fact his owners left. Defeated, he sat down and lifted his head before howling out his feelings.
Joannie said the sound felt new in more ways than one, as it was the first time she witnessed a dog howl. She said her previous dog never howled.
Normally, Midnight will chew on his frozen Kong or use a snuffle mat before dozing off when he’s home alone. But Joannie noted as he’s become older, he seems more aware of when they leave the house.
“I think many dog owners can relate to the little bit of guilt we feel when leaving them at home,” she said. “With CCTV cameras being so accessible now, sometimes we check in and realize their little world just pauses while they wait for us to come back.”
Cavapoos are especially known for forming close bonds with their humans, a trait tied to their roots as companion dogs. The breed’s affectionate, people‑oriented nature means they often thrive on routine and human presence, and because that attachment can be so strong, separation anxiety may occur if independence isn’t introduced early, a PetMD article states.
That strong attachment can make Cavapoos particularly attuned to changes in their environment—such as sensing when their owners have truly left the house. As puppies grow and become more aware of daily patterns, those bonds can show up in unexpected ways, including vocalizing or waiting quietly for their people to return.
“It’s a little bittersweet, knowing how much they love us, and how much they miss us when we’re gone,” she said.
Why Do Dogs Howl?
Howling can be a normal vocal behavior in dogs, including puppies, as it is an instinctive form of communication rooted in their wolf ancestry, where long, drawn-out calls were used to signal location and stay connected to the pack, Newsweek previously reported. While less common than barking, howling remains a natural form of expression in modern dogs. Many will howl in response to emotional triggers, such as loneliness or routine changes, communication or attention-seeking.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.