This Woman Tested The Theory That Golden Retrievers Can Hold Eggs In Their Mouths Without Breaking Them

    The seemingly wholesome challenge started from a viral tweet, but some veterinarians are concerned.

    Brad Esposito
    by Brad Esposito

    BuzzFeed News Reporter, Australia

    People are seeing if their dog can hold an egg in its mouth after a tweet showing the challenge went hugely viral on Monday.

    Erica Chanaud @erica_chanaud

    The whole golden retriever holding an egg thing...MINE ATE IT

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    Haley Bowers, a 17-year-old high school student from Michigan, kicked off the trend when she tweeted video of her Aunt's dog, Sookie, carefully holding an egg in its mouth.

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    So far Haley's tweet has been retweeted over 150,000 times and the video has been viewed almost 7.5 million times.

    elizabeth gillies fan account @Iaurdreyfuss

    my aunt read online that a golden retriever’s mouth is so gentle they can hold an egg in their mouth without cracki… https://t.co/tivwhL0HEA

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    Haley told BuzzFeed News that 8-year-old Sookie the golden retriever would balance anything on her head and nose as long as she could get a treat afterward. This was just one of those tricks.

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    "There's a lot of mixed emotions," said Haley of the reception. "A lot of people think it's cute but some others are worried about what would've happened if Sookie had bit into the egg."

    Haley's aunt, Carrie, is a veterinary technician and told BuzzFeed News she did the trick knowing her dog wouldn't actually eat the egg. "If anything she would have spit it out if she did bite down on it," she said.

    Still, the huge virality of Haley's tweet has led to people trying the trick for themselves with their own pets, dubbing it the "Golden Retriever Challenge."

    Brendan Mulligan @mullaby

    Tried out the Golden Retriever egg challenge with Missy tonight. She was successful and remains a very good girl

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    Celeste @Celest565

    I tried the golden retriever egg video with Mylo...

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    Skyler Harvey @SkylerHarvey71

    Everyone was doing the golden retriever egg challenge, so here’s my moron.

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    daria @dariadiblasi

    @samanta_valdes @Iaurdreyfuss

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    There are some doozies out there...

    💛mercy @blvssoms

    @Iaurdreyfuss i tried 🤷🏻‍♀️

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    ‘picey hae @heyItsHaelyn

    @MotherOfDoggons @Iaurdreyfuss I get hella defensive because again. My pitbull can’t even live in certain places an… https://t.co/SawBISjRle

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    Lyndsay reeves @ReevesLyndsay

    Don’t try the golden retriever challenge with a Shepard 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

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    And not all of them involve dogs...

    Parker LaGrange @ParkerLaGrange

    my aunt read online that a golden retriever’s mouth is so gentle they can hold an egg in their mouth without cracki… https://t.co/nmB26JdUBg

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    Or successful attempts...

    ok @koopakoot

    we tried to see if our corgi could hold an egg like the golden retriever and his mouth was too small lmao

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    Allison Lockhart @A_Lock1

    I tried to test the theory of a golden retriever’s mouth being so gentle that they won’t even crack an egg but my g… https://t.co/dOrLca32yN

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    Doctor Paula Parker, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, told BuzzFeed News that participating in the challenge could put your dog's life in danger.

    "Placing a raw egg (in the shell) in a dog’s mouth is a health risk. It is choking hazard as the egg may become lodged in the dog’s throat," she said.

    "However, there is also a risk of the dog contracting an infection from bacteria that is present on the outside of the egg shell, for example, salmonella."

    "Salmonella can be present both inside and outside the shell, so even if the egg does not break, if the bacteria is present on the outside of the shell it could lead to health concerns including diahhorea and vomiting."

    Still, there's plenty of support for the challenge online. Be careful!

    McKenna Ross @mckenna_ross_

    Hands down the best thing about 2018 has been the golden retriever egg challenge

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