A North Carolina man has shared a surprising moment from the drive home after adopting a puppy—with the scene quickly going viral online.
The dog’s owner, Zach Branum, said the incident happened shortly after he adopted a four‑month‑old German Shepherd, named Navy, from the New Hanover Humane Society in Wilmington, North Carolina.
A Surprise Moment on the Drive Home
According to Branum, Navy’s first car ride after leaving the shelter did not go quite as planned. The drive started off as normal, but then his new puppy initially climbed out of her seat and into his lap while he was driving.
As the car approached his neighborhood, the situation escalated. Branum said Navy jumped down between his legs and crawled underneath the brake pedal.
“I could still use the pedal but obviously I couldn’t push it all the way down,” he told Newsweek.
Branum said he slowed the vehicle and coasted through the neighborhood, and luckily he eventually able to pull into his driveway without incident. He added that he was able to stop safely once he reached his home.
Adopting Navy
Branum said he adopted Navy to become his service dog, and the puppy is scheduled to begin training with a nonprofit organization.
He also shared that the dog’s name has personal meaning. Branum is a military veteran and said Navy was named after the branch of the U.S. armed forces in which he served.
Navy is four months old and had only been with her new owner for three days at the time the video was posted, according to Branum.
Online Reaction
The moment was captured in a video that Branum later shared online. The clip shows Navy tucked into the driver’s footwell near his legs. Text over the video reads: “Just adopted a new pup! She is already a degenerate like me!”
Branum said sharing the video felt natural, noting that he is beginning to explore content creation and social media posting.
The video gained more than 16,000 views and in the comments one viewer questioned if it was safe for the dog to be loose in the front of the car.
Veterinary experts warn that allowing dogs to roam freely inside a moving vehicle can pose serious safety risks for both pets and drivers. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) advises that pets should always be properly restrained using a harness, carrier, or crate designed for car travel, noting that unrestrained animals can interfere with driving.
According to the AVMA, small pets can crawl into the footwell and obstruct the use of brake or accelerator pedals, while larger dogs can block a driver’s view or become a dangerous projectile in the event of a sudden stop or collision. The organization recommends securing pets in the back seat or cargo area to reduce distraction and improve safety for everyone in the vehicle.
Despite this, Branum said that the reaction was mostly positive. “Most comments and reactions were as one would expect, very positive,” Branum said. “But as always there are a few people that thought it was an unsafe situation.”
Despite the criticism, Branum said he views the moment as an early bonding experience rather than a cautionary tale.
“All in all I thought it was a pretty wholesome moment,” he said.
The video joins a steady stream of pet adoption stories shared online, many of which highlight the unpredictable—and sometimes chaotic—first days of bringing a new animal home.