Well, that was an unexpected visitor! A family recently experienced what may have been the shortest disappearance ever after the playful Bernese mountain dog jumped the backyard’s fence and ran away.

Two-year-old Buddy had been in the family’s yard in Minneapolis, Minn., while his owner, Victor, was inside the house. Now, Buddy had somehow managed to escape the yard before, but the family had always managed to snag him before he went too far. 

But Victor said they weren’t sure how the playful pup was making his escape. Apparently, the dog – whose breed is known for its energy and brains – had learned a new trick on his own. He could jump the 4-foot fence that surrounded the family’s home.

Escape artist Buddy boops the doorbell for his humans to let him in. Photo from Ring camera

“In the beginning, we didn’t know how he was getting out,” Victor said of Buddy’s previous adventures. “But we finally saw him jump out of the yard, and that’s when we knew.” The family had been unaware on this particular day that Buddy had made his break for it. That is, until their Ring doorbell went off. His owners went to the camera and were shocked to see who was at the front door.

“Buddy was gone for about 15 minutes before he surprised us by ringing the doorbell and waiting for the door to open,” Victor said. Even more surprising, Victor said, was that no one had taught the energetic dog how to ring the doorbell.

Buddy waits patiently for someone to let him in the house. Photo from Ring camera

In the now-viral video, Buddy’s tail is the first to make an appearance. Then the dog jumps up on his back legs, and then rings the doorbell while staring at the camera and booping it with his nose. He acted as if this was the way he always entered the home, they said. As the dog waited patiently for someone to answer the door, Victor’s daughter shrieked and ran outside yelling “Buddy!.”

We didn’t know he had escaped; our children were home, and as you see in the video, my daughter was super surprised when she opened the door,” Victor said.

The family thinks that Buddy has seen others use the family’s Ring doorbell, and figured out that if he used it, someone would open the door. “We assumed he had seen people ring the doorbell (our main door is see-through glass) and saw that we opened the door soon after it was pressed. He is very smart,” Victor said.

The family said that Buddy is doing “great” following the shortest escape ever for a Bernese mountain dog. Despite Buddy’s adorable new way of entering the home, Victor said the experience did teach them that maybe they needed a taller fence. “We (extended) our fence so he can no longer jump it. He doesn’t get out anymore,” Victor said.

Source: People