Employee lies about taking her sick dog to the vet to skip work, gets caught by coworkers when they realize the dog isn't real: 'She's definitely taken a lot of days off due to the dog'

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jan 28, 2026 9:00 AM EST

We've heard of faking sick to get out of work, but faking a pet to get out of work is a whole new level of craziness.

We're all guilty of making up fake excuses to get out of work. You're "sick", you have to pick up your niece from school, you have an important family event you can't miss, etc, etc. However, the employee in today's topic took things too far, some might say. She always mentioned having a dog, using it to get out of many work events and miss days from the office for dog-related activities. One coworker found it strange that her dog always had the same face in every picture, and none of the pictures were clear. That's when they found out that the dog wasn't real at all. It was a realistic-looking stuffed animal that she passed off as a real pet.

Our main question is this: why? Why go so far to create an excuse to get out of work? Just Google a picture of a thermometer with a fever-like temperature like the rest of us. To go so far as to create a fake dog just seems… excessive. Maybe she has her reasons. She might have a weird pet that she's ashamed of, so she just tells everyone it's a dog because she doesn't want to reveal her secret. Or she just really likes lying.

Whatever her reason, it's not hurting anyone, so if it were us, we would leave this alone. We all have our reasons for missing work, and it's not nice to dig your nose into somebody's business when it doesn't conern you. Nobody likes a tattle-tale.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

Advertisement
  • 01

    My colleague is lying about having a dog!

    fake bone and dog including 'The dog was fake'
    via popsarasin

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Omg this is going to sound made up but I promise, it isn't. Strap in for this wild ride: One of my colleagues, she's been with the business two years, ALWAYS talks about her dog and often has to take time off because the dog is sick or the dog needs this or that.
    via willowgoose
  • 03
    We never thought much of it but we noticed whenever we asked to see the dog she'd share a photo of the dog and her but the dog always had the SAME expression.
    via willowgoose
  • 04
    Not photoshop or anything but.... Like, he was there, but weird because always the same and we never saw him on a video call always just heard him but the dog sounds sounded different every time (like, sometimes it sounded like a big dog others like a smaller dog.) Just... off.
    via willowgoose
  • 05
    Anyway the other day she said she needed to take the day off because her dog was terribly ill and she needed to take him to the vet.
    via willowgoose
  • 06
    Adorable Dog in Pet Carrier on Floor Indoors
    via Africa images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 07
    She then sends us a photo of the dog in a dog carrier bag thing and holy moly, it's the dog with the same exact expression!?
    via willowgoose

  • We've definitely seen “realistic-looking” stuffed animals before. But we would never mistake one for a real dog. Either she was very good at disguising these images, or everyone here just doesn't really care about her dog. Both might be true. But the real question is: what kind of dog? Did she actually buy a carrier for it? Did she take the lie that far just because?

  • 08
    Guys. The dog was fake!!!!! A bunch of us cross referenced the pics and it's like the dog is definitely... not real!?!?
    via willowgoose
  • 09
    It's not taxidermy in that it doesn't look hard and stuffed in that way, but if you google "realistic looking stuffed dog" you'll see what I mean.
    via willowgoose
  • 10
    It's that kind of thing!!!!!! Wtf kind of lunatic. We're wondering if to tell our boss because it's not like crazy but it's also kind of crazy and she's definitely taken a lot of days off due to the dog but... the dog isn't real!?
    via willowgoose
  • 11
    What do I do with this information besides flip out!? She's otherwise totally serious and friendly and normal!
    via willowgoose
  • 12
    Woman Whispering to a Shocked Man
    via AndreyPopov

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 13
    EDIT: a lot do people are asking me for a photo. I don't want to risk her finding this and she's on all the photos she sends of her dog.
    via willowgoose
  • 14
    Or 'dog' I should say! Google "realistic looking stuffed animals / dogs" though, and you'll get an idea of what I mean!!!!
    via willowgoose
  • 15
    NoHippi3chic Mind...and i can't state this strongly enough...your own damn business. These are coworkers, not your family. You are starting family level drama, and it will end badly.
    via NoHippi3chic
  • 16
    javy_z This sounds hilarious but I definitely wouldn't tell the boss. How she burns her days off is really none of your business
    via javy_z
  • 17
    StrawberryKiss2559 Omg. I have to see these pics.
    via StrawberryKiss2559
  • 18
    AnnieB512 Maybe it's just an excuse to get out of work. Who cares?
    via AnnieB512

  • We're all guilty of lying to get out of work. It's just a natural thing that happens in the workplace. No one is faulting her for lying to get out of work, it's the way that feels so strange. Would you make up a fake child to get out of work? Probably not.

  • 19
    onmy40 Dont hate the player hate the game. Get yourself some fake kids or something and enjoy some 3 day weekends.
    via onmy40
  • 20
    Hey-Just-Saying Pay the pet tax and provide the pics!
    via Hey-Just-Saying
  • 21
    PersistentCookie She has a Bull Shih Tsu. They come in very handy.
    via PersistentCookie
  • 22
    pink_soaps26 Maybe she's taking days off to do other random things but uses the fake one because she doubted anyone would catch on and it seemed like a good coverup. Other people can blame their days off on kids or pets so she maybe thought it was an easy way to get time off? Super weird.
    via pink_soaps26
  • 23
    JupiterSkyFalls I've lied about having a pet or children depending on the job in order to use them as excuses for work life balance if my employer was overly demanding. They didn't respect that balance as being a good enough excuse to get a normal schedule, not get called in last minute, getting a day off for something that wasn't a funeral, being asked to stay late repeatedly, ect.
    via JupiterSkyFalls
  • 24
    brokebunnie Im curious as hell lol but honestly,, if its not affecting anyone personally/ causing delays or issues with work, i don't see why its anyone's concern (besides HR and other higher ups) Deff weird but more concerning, but yeah it doesnt seem to be that grand of an issue imo
    via brokebunnie

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

caught dogs day off employee work coworkers lying animals
Scroll Down For The Next Article