Most people never expect to answer the door and talk about their pet’s anatomy. Least of all with an Animal Control Officer. However, that is exactly the situation Daniella Blasinghame claims to have found herself in recently. The pet mom, dog trainer, and human behind bradley.in.the.spotlight usually uses the account to showcase the training she does with her Dalmatian, Bradley, and his resultant skills. However, a recent training session backfired. Taking to Instagram and TikTok, in a post that has since earned 1.4 million views, she told her viewers. “Animal Control showed up today at my house to check on my dog’s butthole. Bradley is a professional animal actor and has been working on learning a new skill, which is scooting his butt across the carpet, for a commercial. The way I’m training this is by covering his butthole with a piece of tape to irritate him.” “Then he tries to take it off by scooting his a– on the carpet, and then I mark and reward him for doing that behavior,” Blasingame explained. She told her viewers that butt scooting is common behavior when something irritates a dog . By using the tape, she was introducing a minor irritant that was only annoying but didn’t hurt Bradley. Even then, it was only for three to five minutes at a time. However, she alleged that some in her community didn’t agree. The animal control visit went better than expected Blasingame alleged, “According to all the keyboard warriors, he’s super stressed. He’s not happy. He’s being forced to do this, and soon his butthole is gonna fall off.” She then claimed, “They even went as far as to call animal control to my house today.” Her account of the visit could not be independently verified, and the animal control agency was not identified. She then went on to say that the interaction with the Animal Control officer was actually “super positive.” View this post on Instagram She claimed, “I opened the front door. I said hello to the animal control officer, and she had a funny look on her face. She said, ‘Do you have a Dalmatian?’ And was smiling. I said, ‘Yes.’ And I could tell by the look on her face she was trying not to laugh. And so I said, ‘Are you here about his butthole?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I am.’” Blasingame claimed that she invited the officer inside, applied the tape, and demonstrated the training process. “She thought it was wonderful. Thought it was funny and that people on the internet are absolutely insane,” Blasingame alleged. She then claimed that the officer recorded a video of Bradley to confirm he was not distressed. The officer also, allegedly, invited the pair to the station for an event. Online, Blasingame’s story triggered a mix of disbelief and humor. One Instagrammer quipped, “Ah yes, the classic signs of neglect: An animal in beautiful shape with a shiny coat who is well socialized and extremely well trained.” Another commenter joked, “Praying no one ever takes an interest in my b-hole the way the internet has with Bradley’s.” A third noted, “This is actually insane. People forget dogs were literally bred to work. They thrive off of learning new things.” @bradley.in.the.spotlight You guys are wild for sending animal control to my house. Case was dropped, my dogs were all complimented, and I maybe got a job out of it! #dalmatian #wildstory #dogtraining #animalcontrol ♬ original sound – Bradley.in.the.spotlight Professional dog trainers have long emphasized that public perception of animal actors can be based on misinformation. According to Karen Pryor Clicker Training, concerns often arise from the assumption that animals are forced to perform or that they lack choice. Modern trainers generally favor positive reinforcement. Blasingame’s method pairs a mild irritant with a reward, and that use of an irritant is what drew criticism online, though she says the tape is only on for a few minutes and does not hurt him. A happy, healthy dog, like Bradley, shows signs of contentment through loose body language, a wagging tail, and a willingness to engage in training. According to Honor Pet, a dog that is comfortable and secure will stay curious and engaged during practice sessions. If a dog is stressed, Honor Pet noted that they typically won’t take treats or show the same level of enthusiasm as they usually do. One Instagram user wrote: “If he was super stressed, he wouldn’t eat treats. Every single dog I’ve met that is super food motivated will not take a treat if the stress has gone too far.” Many commenters were surprised animal control was called at all. One wrote, “Of all the things I’ve seen on the internet, clearly well trained Dalmatian with tape on his brown eye isn’t one of the things I’d think to call animal control on.”