How Alaskan Malamute Eats Croissant Impresses Internet: 'Why He's So Big'

We all love to spoil our dogs, but one croissant-loving Alaskan Malamute has taken snacking to a new level on social media.

In a video posted to the page @bokchoy.the.woolly on June 27, the dog can be seen salivating as his owner walks toward him with a plain croissant, which the Alaskan Malamute then devours in three bites. The video has been viewed 846,000 times, and in other clips posted to the TikTok, it is clear that this is not Bok Choy's first croissant. He also enjoys other baked goods including bread rolls, dog cupcakes, tortillas and bagels.

"He loves a croissant," Tracie Yu told Newsweek. "We go to different coffee shops around the city, and he knows he gets a croissant. He probably gets one to two croissants a week, unless he cons the dog walker into bringing him to his favorite coffee shop during the week."

Alaskan Malamute
An Alaskan Malamute looks for food in a diner. A specimen named Bok Choy loves eating croissants, and a recent video of him enjoying the sweet treat has racked up over 846,000 views on TikTok.... Aninka/Getty Images

Bok Choy can be heard being told to "be nice" before he eats the croissant, and then a man can be heard exclaiming, "goodness that's why he's so big." The caption reads: "The way he eats croissants is like hungry hungry hippos."

"When we lived in Michigan, he had a nightly routine with my dad," said Yu. "My dad would come home from work and feed him a croissant. We wanted to keep this tradition for him, but obviously one croissant nightly is excessive. Croissants only when we go to coffee shops."

The Alaskan Malamute is among the oldest of the working sled-dog breeds. They are believed to be descendants of the first domesticated wolf-dogs from Paleolithic times. Due to their size and history of being working dogs, the Alaskan Malamutes' instinct to eat anything and everything that they can find is strong.

"The Malamute is a very high-maintenance dog in terms of grooming, exercise and training, but their goofy, independent nature makes it all worth it," said Yu. "They have such personalities and are very vocal about their opinions. It makes every day different from the last. They always have something to complain about, but at the end of the day, they want to be near you, their family."

"Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog's calorie consumption and weight level," recommends the American Kennel Club. "Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not."

"Bok Choy does have a strict diet outside of croissants," said Yu. "Unfortunately, he does have a lot of food allergies limiting the 'treats' he can eat. Mainly, his special dog food and treats are protein- and egg-free. He cannot even have a pupaccino! That's why we spoil him with croissants when we go out."

Dogs have a high tolerance for carbohydrates and can obtain large amounts of their daily calories from the macronutrients. These are essential nutrients including sugars, fibers and starches. While croissants do not contain ingredients that are toxic to dogs, many experts still don't recommend feeding them to your pet.

"Dogs can technically eat a piece of a croissant without getting sick, but just because they don't get sick doesn't mean it's a good snack for them," says pet-advice site Pet Keen. "Croissants are high-calorie foods, and one croissant often exceeds 200 calories. So, a piece of a croissant can seem harmless, but consistently feeding your dog pieces of croissants can quickly exceed healthy caloric limits."

Croissants and other sweet treats offer no nutritional benefits to dogs, so should be offered sparingly. "They're filler foods that contain a lot of carbohydrates and fat from butter. It's also not safe for overweight and obese dogs, those prone to pancreatitis or diabetic dogs," adds Pet Keen.

Users loved Bok Choy the greedy Alaskan Malamute. "He quite literally ate and quite literally left no crumbs," commented one user. "Wow! He chomped that down with no hesitation!" wrote another.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more

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