We can't believe we have to say this but bringing your dog to a metal show is not a good idea, so please stop doing it

Dog in mosh pit
(Image credit: TikTok)

Recently, the Internet caught wind of the totally bizarre circumstance which saw a dog run away from its home to attend a Metallica show. While it's unclear how the pooch made its way to the concert - which took place at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on August 25 - the pooch did stay for the entire set and appeared to be having a good time, as it sat watching the show intently from its seat.

Sparking joy, laughter, an avalanche of dog-themed Metallica puns (Master Of Puppies, Barx Æterna) and even a message of approval from the San Fransisco thrash heavyweights themselves, it remains one of the more light-hearted moments in metal this year.

This isn't to say, however, that purposely bringing your own pet to a show is a good idea, which - let's be honest - is an obvious piece of advice to give. Unfortunately, it's also advice that one metalhead recently failed to adhere to, after bringing his golden retriever to a Motionless In White gig in a moment that has since gone viral online.

There's now fan-filmed footage of the strange situation on TikTok, showing the pet owner parading his (rather unimpressed looking) pooch around on top of his shoulders in the actual crowd at the band's gig on September 16 at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. 

While it may perhaps be a service animal, it's not obvious from the clip, and it doesn't appear to be wearing any ear protection. In any case, being in a rowdy crowd as a dog must be pretty daunting, let alone considering the potential damage that could be done to its ears, that are far more sensitive than humans' - we can hear frequencies up to 20,000 Hz, where as our furry friends can hear up to 47,000 to 65,000 Hz. Ouch.

Motionless In White drummer Vinny Mauro has even commented on the matter, writing on Twitter: "seeing the dog in the pit at our scranton show really bummed me out and I wanna go on record to say unless your dog is literally deaf and blind and somehow also loves to be held in the air for 3 hours, do not bring them to a show, headphones or not".

Thankfully, metallers underneath the TikTok video are similarly unimpressed, with comments reading: "That poor dogs hearing 🥺 I wish they’d had earplugs or something for him' and 'GET THAT GOOD BOY SOME HEARING PROTECTION'. Or better yet, leave your pets at home where they're safe and comfortable.

View the moment below. While we're sure the dog's owner had no ill intentions and there may be a specific reason the dog was in attendance, we'll reiterate this one last time: if you're thinking of bringing your pet to a show for fun...don't.

@goawayabby

♬ original sound - abby
Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

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