Barking mad! Ginger the rescue pug screams ‘like a banshee’ to get her owner’s attention

Barking mad! Ginger the rescue pug screams ‘like a banshee’ to get her owner’s attention

  • Ginger, four, a pug-cross, is captured shrieking like a human instead of barking  
  • Her owner Whitney Lawson, 41, filmed the clip at home in Calgary, Canada
  • Dog is heard producing alarming scream for attention as owner sits on the couch

A shocked owner has filmed her dog shrieking like a human instead of barking after the pug learned to get her attention using the alarming habit.

Ginger, a four-year-old pug-cross, was filmed by owner Whitney Lawson, 41, at home in Calgary, Canada, hysterically screaming as the owner sat on the couch.  

The bizarre clip has racked up over 100,000 views so far since being uploaded to social media on Friday, with some likening the noise to a human in distress.

Ms Lawson, who rescued the pug from an animal shelter, said she didn’t know Ginger made the unnerving noises until shortly after she had adopted her. 

The owner said: ‘I have been trying for years to capture this on video.

‘I usually don’t capture it because I am so shocked when she makes these noises that by the time I get my camera out, she then stops.’

The owner was finally able to film a video of her demanding dog unleashing the shriek after cuddling with her owner as they watched a movie on January 16. 

Ms Lawson said she had been relaxing with the dog when she ‘jumps off the couch and looking me straight into my eyes and starts belting out her banshee cry while I am looking at her.’

The wide-eyed pug Ginger is seen screaming with all her might whilst owner Whitney Lawson, 41, films from her couch at home in Calgary

After screeching away the pug-cross has a sit down, having gained her owner's attention

After screeching away the pug-cross has a sit down, having gained her owner’s attention

She added: ‘It made for the perfect opportunity for me to capture this on film, so glad I did!

‘She typically makes this ‘banshee-like cry whenever I leave her, she really doesn’t like to be without her mom. She is definitely a momma’s little girl.’

Ms Lawson, a facilities coordinator, explained that Ginger is benefiting from the pandemic by having her mum home a lot more in lockdown but also wonders if the extreme outbursts are another reaction to being cooped up inside.

Owner Ms Lawson with Ginger, who she did not know made the alarming noises when she adopted her several years ago

Owner Ms Lawson with Ginger, who she did not know made the alarming noises when she adopted her several years ago

She said: ‘I wish I knew why she does half of the things she does.

‘Normally, she makes this cry when I leave her to go out or when I go into the shower and she can’t see me or if she discovers I am not in the same room as her, but this was a different story.

‘I found it so funny because a piece of me could relate to her.

‘There are so many things going on in the world around us that are challenging and a part of me felt like she was releasing how she feels.’

The adorable pug-cross is seen wearing a woolly hat, whilst enjoying the attention of her owner

The adorable pug-cross is seen wearing a woolly hat, whilst enjoying the attention of her owner

The video has prompted Ms Lawson to start her own TikTok page, where she hopes to give people more glimpses of her dog’s quirky personality – as people can’t get enough of her shrieking pooch.

Relating to the video one fan wrote ‘I feel the same way,’ while another joked ‘That’s not a dog’.  

Another commented: ‘That sounds like a screeching for help’.