Update: Like many news organizations before us, we have been brutally hoaxed by a teenager we met on Twitter. The viral locked-car dog is (probably) not named Kram, and (probably) not listening to Rihanna, as we originally reported based on an interview with the person who first shared the photo. The post has been updated throughout to reflect this.
For the record, you shouldn’t leave your pets unattended in hot cars for any length of time. But if you are inclined to leave your canine pal in the car while you pick up a Greek yogurt or what have you, there’s a way to do it without endangering your dog (or your car windows).
Unfortunately, we may never know what music this particular dog was listening to from inside his air-conditioned hangout. Select All previously reported that the dog was named Kram and was owned by a South Carolina teen named Matthew. But sadly, it has come to light that Matthew actually took the photo from somewhere else on the internet and repurposed it as his own.
Despite being a fake — or at least, not an original — the tweet has still managed to spawn copycats (or dogs, as it were), with people replacing the dog formerly believed to be Kram’s “favorite music” with various bands and songs.
Since Matthew tweeted the photo at the end of May, the picture has been retweeted by over 55,000 people, with one question weighing heavily on the minds of many: What exactly is the dog’s favorite music?
“Kram’s favorite music is Rihanna,” Matthew told us initially. Sadly, since it’s not really Matthew’s dog, we cannot confirm that the Barbadian pop star is actually the dog in the car’s fave. But then again, it could be.
