Ok, you can get your dog to sit, but can he perform a Philippine folk dance?
Facebook user June Lazarte posted a now-viral video two weeks ago of a Chihuahua performing tinikling, a traditional dance in the country which involves people tapping bamboo poles on the ground and against each other, while several dancers step over and in between the poles as they dance to the music played by a rondalla ensemble (a rondalla is a stringed instrument).
In this case, Bullet the Chihuahua flew solo for his performance but the public thinks he completely nailed it. Watch him dance his heart out.
Lazarte told Coconuts Manila through a phone interview that Bullet is 1 year and 5 months old. Lazarte has been training animals of all sorts: dogs, cats, chicken, pigs, birds and even rats.
Lazarte is known as the trainer of Saver, an intelligent white aspin (mixed breed dog) who starred in commercials and films.
According to Lazarte, Saver inspired the enactment of Republic Act 8485, or more commonly known as the Animal Cruelty Law. The aspin died in 2009 at 13 years old.
Lazarte said he taught Bullet how to perform tinikling because he saw a lot of dogs go viral for dancing the cha-cha and other styles. He thought this video could bring a bit of the country’s culture to the world.
“I thought, why don’t I teach Filipino culture through this dog,” he said in Filipino.
Aside from being great pets, Chihuahuas are intelligent and fast learners. Pair that up with an expert animal trainer, and you’ll get a lot more of this:
In another video, Bullet can be seen balancing on a ball:
Netizens seemed to love the tinikling video most as it garnered over 1 million views and 18,500 shares as of this article’s posting.
Facebook user Juvy Avellaneda wrote: “Hahahaha!! You even beat me, Bullet. I don’t even know how to dance the tinikling.”
Facebook user Thea Arra Mae Cabase tagged a friend and said: “[So] [this] is the tinikling, one of the traditional dances in the Philippines. Lol, just tagging [you] in [this] cos I know the doggo beats [you] with its cute doggo tinikling [dance].”
Facebook user Concepcion Clark wrote: “Amazing job you did [with] [your] dog. He/ she has really learned the dance. I even had a hard time learning it. Kudos to you master trainer of your dog.”
Twitter user @msydeleon reshared the video on Monday and said: “BITCH I SAW THIS ON FB AND IM LOSING MY SHIT OH MY GOd”
Same here, sis.
BITCH I SAW THIS ON FB AND IM LOSING MY SHIT OH MY GOd
Credits: June Lazarte AnimalTrainor pic.twitter.com/CelTqkbBdS
— msy (@msydeleon) October 15, 2018
@anaavictorriaa replied with a meme of Snoop Dogg with a note that said: “This is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.”
— Ana Victoria (@anaavictorriaa) October 16, 2018
@daineywayne compared Filipinos to the rest of the world: “Non-Filipinos: I just taught my dog how to roll over.”
“Filipinos: I just taught my dog tinikling.”
Non-Filipinos: I just taught my dog how to roll over
Filipinos: I just taught my dog tinikling https://t.co/gUdcvWwGd3
— dw (@daineywayne) October 15, 2018
“Wow, he’s better than most people HAHAHA,” @IAmJazminGo said in Filipino.
wow mas magaling pa sa tao HAHAHA
— Jazmin Go (@IAmJazminGo) October 16, 2018
“Ahhh this baby can dance,” said @VargasRegB.
ahhh this bebe can dance @VargasRegB
— Marv (@SURIOso_) October 16, 2018
Kudos to Bullet the Chihuahua for the performance! Take a bow, doggo.
