The owner of a boxer dog who has become an internet sensation by blasting a car horn has told The Courier how he feared something was wrong when he saw people crowded round his car in Broughty Ferry.
Footage of an impatient Fern sitting at the wheel has put a smile on the face of thousands after it was shared on Facebook by teenager Cameron Wighton, and then covered on The Courier website on Monday.
Her owner who came forward to tell the full story after The Courier published the video said he feared for the worst.
Owner Graham Haddow, 58, had been visiting a gallery.
He said his first reaction when he saw crowds gathered around the car was fear that something had happened to his pet.
He said: “I came out of the gallery and looked down the street and saw a crowd of people standing around, pointing at my car.
“I started running because I was worried something had happened to her. When I got closer I realised people were pointing and laughing and taking pictures.
“She gave me a sideways glance and just kept on going.
“A young lad on a scooter told me he had been there from the beginning and it had been going on for 15 minutes. We’d only been away for 20 minutes.Can your pet outdo Fern in the comedy stakes? Let us know by emailing online@thecourier.co.uk or phone 01382 575130“Usually when we come back she is sitting on one of the seats but she has never done this before.”
Graham and his wife Fiona live in Liff and had been visiting Broughty Ferry for the day on Saturday.
Fiona said: “It was as if she was saying: ‘Where have you been? I’ve been waiting’.”
Graham had secretly hoped someone might have taken a video so he was delighted to find the footage had even made its way on to our website.
He said: “We knew nothing about it until my son sent us a text, saying just ‘Courier website’.”
Fiona came on the scene once Graham had already got Fern out of the car so the first time she saw the spectacle was online.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the video. It was like she was away in a world of her own.
“I think she is a bit of a diva. She just always wants attention and she seems to have got her way this time.”
Graham said they are a bit concerned that, now Fern has learned to use the horn, she might throw similar strops in the future.
He said: “I might have to put something on the driver’s seat from now on to stop her doing it again.”
The couple have quite enjoyed Fern getting her 15 minutes of fame as she only recovered from meningitis in December.
Fern has already displayed signs of mischief-making and has chewed up two phones beyond repair, in one incident calling Fiona’s friend 18 times in the process, and she has also enjoyed munching on several pairs of Graham’s reading glasses.