Zoe stared at her phone, fingers twitching. The TikTok challenge was clear: 15 seconds of ‘The Renegade’ dance, neon leggings required. She’d bought the leggings (shiny, pink, questionable) and set up her bedroom as a green screen. All she needed was a viral moment.
Her dog, Sir Barksalot, a golden retriever with the attention span of a hyperactive squirrel, sat cross-legged on her laptop. “Nope,” Zoe said, yanking the computer free. “This is for fame, not naps.”
She cued the song. The first beat dropped. Zoe twirled, legs snapping like robot parts. Sir Barksalot stood, tail wagging a metronome. Then—*thud*—he lunged for a squeaky toy, knocking over her $300 LED lamp. “No! Not the lamp!” Zoe screamed, but the camera kept rolling.
She restarted. This time, she dodged the toy, spun like a disco ball, and hit the final pose. The screen flashed: 14 seconds. Close enough! She uploaded, fingers crossed.
Minutes later, her phone buzzed. A notification: “@Zoebreaks23 – 10K likes!” She did a victory dance… until Sir Barksalot chewed through the charging cable. “You’re a menace,” she said, staring at the shredded cord. The dog blinked back, innocent as a puppy.
Later, Zoe rewatched the video. Her face was a mix of rage and confusion as the dog’s antics played in the background. She added a caption: “When your pet is the real star. #DogsOfTikTok”. The likes exploded. Now, Zoe’s new challenge: teaching Sir Barksalot the dance. He didn’t get it. But the internet? They *loved* it.”,
