From the day we arrived on the planet, and — blinking, stepped into the sun — humanity has been obsessed with adorable animals. Just look at Disney, which has built a bazillion-dollar all-consuming corporation off the back of whistling mice and regicidal lions. Speaking of which, the combination of a cute dog and a recreation of one of the House of Mouse’s most iconic movie moments proved to be the highlight of the night for a crowd of Chicago partygoers.
As any native of the Windy City will tell you, Lollapalooza just took place this past weekend so the town has been crawling with music lovers who’ve flocked to check out the four-day festival. Although maybe what they really came for was a glimpse at the pup whose owner seems to believe is the king of Chicago’s dog population – hence their decision to proudly show them off to the world.
As seen in the above TikTok, the owner lifted up his pet to the window, like Rafiki with Simba in The Lion King, getting a cheer from the crowd across the street every time, like they were a bunch of excited animals at Pride Rock. Except in this case, the dog isn’t going to grow up and eat them like Simba would, so their happiness actually makes a lot more sense. Like one commenter put it, “Humans can be so cute sometimes.”
Although copious amounts of alcohol likely had something to do with this crowd’s extreme delight, it is a fact that dogs can have a hugely positive effect on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Studies have found that dog owners are less likely to fall prey to a range of health concerns than those who don’t have pets, including depression, high blood pressure, and even high cholesterol. So owning a dog could really increase the quality — and the circle — of your life.