Watch as Dog Is Having So Much Fun at Day Care, He Simply Refuses to Leave

The moment a golden retriever refused to leave day care has been caught on camera, leaving his owners in stitches.

Fun-loving pup Pilot, who lives with owner Nikki Cortina in Charlotte, North Carolina, was caught on camera making it exceptionally difficult for the day-care staff to catch him when it was time to go home.

The playful pooch dodged staff for around 10 minutes as his owner tried to coax him to leave—but he was much more interested in playing in the day-care pool.

“This was only his second time at day care, so I was so surprised that he did this!” Cortina told Newsweek. “But he is a typical golden and loves everyone, everything, and any body of water.”

Pet day care is an increasingly popular option for owners who have work or have other commitments, providing somewhere for their animals to be cared for while getting exercise and socialization.

The pet day-care market is set for a boom, according to experts. HTF Market Intelligence says the sector is estimated to increase by $2.27 billion by 2030.

Six days ago, Cortina shared the moment on TikTok under the handle @adventuresofpilot, where it has already been viewed more than 275,000 times. In the text overlay, she wrote: “When you pick your dog up from day care and you catch him dodging the workers ’cause he doesn’t want to leave.”

Pilot’s antics delighted viewers who shared their reactions in the comments. “That’s such a reassuring feeling that he loves it so much,” User971068 posted, while Janie added: “Who’s here? She can come back. I’m enjoying the pool…”

Cortina said: “It took them about 10 minutes to catch him. We have recently gained a bit of a following, and people seem to love Pilot and his personality. I thought sharing this video would show people what a typical day in the life of Pilot would be like.”

Other TikTok users couldn’t help but empathize with Pilot’s enthusiasm.

AnnieNY8388 commented, “Who could blame him?” while We’reStillMonkeys posted, “Geez, I want to go to this dog camp!” User tiff_crowe added: “He’s like ‘my mom? Never heard of her.””

“My pup is the same way,” wrote fellow dog owner bribri_1521. “And she loves the pool, always coming home soaked.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.