Chihuahua Relegated From Owner's Lap to Car Seat—She's Not Happy About It

A chihuahua reacted in adorably dramatic fashion after being made to sit in a car seat rather than on her mom's lap during a trip out.

Thistle may only be nine months old but she's already very attached to her owner Kymberli Aeschliman from Bellingham in Washington.

She might be even more attached to her owner had she known the circumstances that led to her being in Aeschliman's care.

"Thistle came into our lives after she became available because someone reserved her and changed their mind thinking she may have health problems because she was so small," Aeschliman said.

"I have experience with super tiny pups so my husband and I flew from Washington to Texas to pick her up and I feel so sorry to whomever decided against her because she's such a special and healthy dog."

In the time since, Thistle has flourished to become the kind of chihuahua any pet owner would be lucky to have in their lives.

"Her favorite things to do are play with her siblings, dog puzzles, splooting, and abruptly screaming at dogs or people," Aeschliman said. "More than anything though, she loves being as close as possible to mom—she is a big time momma's girl."

Though every dog owner likes to think their four-legged friend loves them, the good news is that there's scientific evidence to back it up.

A 2016 study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience saw 15 dogs, who were trained to sit still while undergoing an MRI scan, monitored while reacting to different stimuli, including food and the sound of their owner's voice praising them.

During this, scientists measured the way the caudate nucleus part of the brain, which is associated with higher-level mental processes like emotions, responded. They found 86 percent of the dogs tested had a similar or higher level of caudate activation when hearing praise from their owner as they did while smelling food.

Thistle is certainly drawn to Aeschliman. "Thistle is always on my lap, crawling in my shirt, doing whatever she can to be closer, she's very clingy," she said.

All of which made getting Thistle to sit in her car seat that much trickier. However, Aeschliman was adamant it had to be done having seen her other dog. "I personally saw it save one of my other dogs Cricket's life when we had a collision recently so I knew when Thistle came along we'd need one for her too," she said.

But while getting the pint-sized pup in the seat proved straightforward enough, once she was there, Thistle didn't hold back in letting her owner know just how heartbroken she was at being apart from her.

Aeschliman ended up sharing footage of the dog's seemingly tearful reaction to TikTok under the handle thistlegremlin. "I just had a feeling it would be a funny video so I made sure to have a camera ready and she did not disappoint," she said.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the waterworks did not last long. "She was very dramatic about sitting somewhere besides mom's lap. But after a lot of treats and her sister Cricket modeling good behavior she has settled into her seat with only an occasional outburst."

Now Aeschliman is looking forward to hitting the road with her special pup by her side and, most importantly, safe.

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