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Sep 12, 2023

Woman Vows To Only Buy Blue Dog Toys After Making Shocking Discovery

A dog owner has vowed only to buy her pet blue toys after a TikTok filter showed

A dog owner has vowed only to buy her pet blue toys after a TikTok filter showed what a dog's eyesight looks like.

In a video with over 26 million views, the use of the popular filter called Dog Vision shows a color-muted version of the woman's bedroom.

"I'm only buying blue toys from now on," declared TikToker @im.muddyy in the viral video featuring her 8-year-old Doberman Banks.

Dogs have rod-dominated retinas meaning their eyes are predominantly composed of rod cells. Rod cells are highly light-sensitive and particularly suited for low-light conditions.

Newly aware that her dog can only see the blue, yellow and some orange shades, the dog's owner said that she would only ever be buying blue dog toys from now on.

"Blue toys only from this point on because everyone deserves some color in their life," wrote the dog owner in the video caption.

Talking to Newsweek, the TikToker said that her pup really does seem more interested in blue toys: "She really is able to see blue and yellow toys much better in the grass when we play fetch," she said.

Because of their rod-dominated retinas, dogs have a reduced ability to perceive colors with the same precision as humans, who have cone-dominated retinas that are more sensitive to different wavelengths of light.

Where humans can see a whole spectrum of colors, dogs have what is called dichromatic color vision, meaning that they perceive the world in shades of blue and yellow.

The TikTok filter which has been used thousands of times in video reposts strips out the tones that a dog's eyes are not able to distinguish like red and green and leaves only shades of blue and yellow.

PDSA Vet Lynne James told Newsweek: "Dogs' senses may mean they experience the world in a different way to us, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're missing out. Dogs can see colours, just not the same number of shades as us. Their range is closest to what a human with red-green color blindness sees."

But online there was a lot of concern for the idea that our canine friends might be missing out because of their eyesight.

"I need someone to put those colorblind glasses on dogs," said one commenter. While another viewer of the viral video wrote: "Explains why my dog's favorite color is blue."

But James explained that while things might not be as bright and vibrant for our dogs, they have other sight advantages we can only dream of.

"Having more rod cells means they have better eyesight than us in very low light," said the vet. "This is why you may find your dog barking at night at something you can't see, or why they spot tiny movements in the undergrowth that pass us by."

While some agreed with the TikToker that they'd only opt for blue toys from now on, others pointed out that their dogs love a full spectrum of toys.

"I always let my dog pick her toys out and she's always chosen red toys," said one viewer. While another said: "Our dog loves the color orange."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

UPDATE 05/31/23 10:10 a.m.: This story was updated with a video and comment from @im.muddyy.