Owner sees puppy doing “so well” in new playpen—then it takes dramatic turn

A tiny puppy outsmarting his owners at just 11 weeks old has gone viral for immediately figuring out how to get a playpen to work to his advantage.

Jessica Justice and her partner Justin Owens, both 36, live in Nashville, Tennessee, and are the proud owners of adorable Australian shepherd puppy, Murph.

The couple have had Murph for less than a month, picking him up in March after the death of their adored shepherd Desmond at the start of the year.

“Dez was our best friend who was always by our side, and showed us unconditional love,” Justice told Newsweek, adding that he “showed us all the joys of owning an Aussie.”

But while the couple has experience with the Australian shepherd breed, going from caring for an older dog to a puppy is always going to be chaotic—and Murph has become a social media star as Justice showed what happened when they tried to keep him in a playpen.

In a clip to Murph’s dedicated TikTok account, @murphthemerle on April 12, Justice wrote: “The playpen was supposed to contain him…he had other plans.”

It began with Murph in the small, light playpen, as he curiously sniffed at the blanket placed on the bottom of it, with the words: “8:00 a.m.: He’s doing so well in his playpen!”

But by 8:01, Murph had it all figured out: he had got the playpen on its side and was using it like a hamster wheel, bouncing against the sides and traveling down the hallway while still inside it, rushing towards his owner.

“Murph is such a fun puppy, and so stinking smart,” his owner told Newsweek. “He definitely keeps us on our toes, but he brings us so much happiness and joy every single day.

“When we saw him using the playpen as a toy, we laughed thinking it would just be a funny video shared with family. Little did we know that so many people would fall in love with Murph and all his funny quirks. Aussies are a smart breed, but we never thought he’d figure out how to outsmart the playpen that quickly!”

His video has been watched more than 2.6 million times, with more than 300,000 likes from animal lovers, as one commenter joked Murph was “not letting the playpen define him.”

“That’s a really big hamster,” another joked, while one pointed out: “I mean…he’s still in the playpen!”

“I mean it’s called a PLAYpen, he’s clearly following the rules,” another defended Murph, as one summed it up: “Welcome to the life of owning an Aussie. They will always find a way to outsmart us.”

Australian shepherds are known for being smart, exuberant and able to outsmart unwitting owners, according to the American Kennel Club. They’re recommended for anyone looking for a “brainy, tireless and trainable partner for work or sport”—and that’s just what Justice has in mind.

“Since he seems so agile already, we plan on entering him in agility competitions once he’s older, and we can’t wait to see him shine,” she told Newsweek.

“We are so happy that he brings joy to so many people online. We hope he can continue to bring smiles to people’s faces with his future videos.”

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.