GREENFIELD — Plenty of local residents have gotten a chance to meet K-9 Officer Donut since he’s been part of the Greenfield police force. But now, people from all over are getting acquainted with him, by way of their smartphone screens.
Donut, a nearly 3-year-old St. Bernard, is included in a brief video that is among a series featuring dogs interfering with news coverage. The video can be seen on the video-sharing platform TikTok.
Donut’s handler, Greenfield Deputy Police Chief William Gordon, said he was unaware of the video’s existence until informed by the Greenfield Recorder.
“I had no idea,” he said Thursday.
Gordon said Donut, a comfort dog, appears in the video as part of an area television news station’s segment about the organization Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog’s donation of a cruiser kennel, and a system that sets off an alarm and rolls down the window if the vehicle gets too hot. The reporter is sitting in the driver’s seat reporting on the story when, in a blooper, Donut decided to butt into her story, trying to squeeze past her and causing her to crack up with laughter. Gordon said the new segment was filmed about two years ago.
“I was really surprised to see 8.2 million,” Gordon said, noting the number of views the video had as of Thursday, a number that has continued to climb. “My son was all excited, and teenagers are really into that.”
The viral video can be seen at bit.ly/374OMnm.
Donut lives with Gordon, his wife, Laura, a Greenfield Police officer, and Clarence, a comfort dog from the same breeding program as Donut.
But the Gordons’ dogs are no strangers to media attention. They have appeared in commercials for companies such as IKEA and RadioShack, and Clarence nearly had a cameo on “Saturday Night Live.” In a skit reminiscent of shows like “Judge Judy,” he was meant to be shown in a “dog court” session, but the cameraman failed to pan down to the St. Bernard when a pug hilariously began misbehaving in the arms of cast member Cecily Strong, who played the judge.
Gordon said his dogs have been on New York City subway posters and in advertisements as far away as Dubai. They have even met celebrities ranging from Barbara Walters to Henry Kissinger.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s neat to have famous dogs,” Gordon said. “We’ve been on one hell of a ride.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.