When Dogs Go on Strike: How My Pups Became Communist Revolutionaries and Boosted My Work Skills
Background
In early 2020, as the world adjusted to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself in the unique position of needing to test new video equipment while confined to my home. With events canceled and remote work becoming the norm, I turned to my most available (and often unpredictable) talent: my two dogs. They quickly became the stars of an impromptu social media video series that began as a simple test of my gear and evolved into a satirical exploration of workplace dynamics.
The Experiment Begins
My initial goal was straightforward: evaluate the performance of my new video setup, including lighting, stabilization, and audio capture, using my dogs as stand-ins for human subjects. However, during one of the early recordings, one of them abruptly walked off set. Without missing a beat, I instinctively quipped, "My co-workers just went on strike." That offhand comment sparked an idea—what if I turned this into an ongoing narrative?
Evolution of the Storyline
Over the following days, I created a series of short videos chronicling my "co-workers'" growing dissatisfaction. Their antics grew more elaborate: they invited friends to join them, held clandestine union meetings behind closed doors, and eventually, after fully embracing communism, one of their so-called friends even blew the whistle on them, acting more like a narc than an ally. Through creative editing, dramatic voiceovers, and carefully selected music, the videos evolved into a satirical take on labor movements, bureaucracy, and workplace power dynamics—all through the lens of two mischievous dogs.
Audience Engagement & Impact
What started as a personal experiment quickly gained traction. The videos resonated with viewers, who related to the themes of workplace frustration, power struggles, and the absurdity of remote work during the pandemic. The engagement on my social media platforms increased significantly, with comments and shares fueling further content ideas.
From Silly Videos to Work Solutions
While I learned a great deal about working with the new equipment, I also picked up a seemingly worthless skill that eventually benefited me professionally. In one scene, the would-be union, composed of several of my friends' pets, was animated using an unlikely platform, My Talking Pet. That experience enabled me, a few months later, to use the same process—although much more carefully—to create a Zoom-like gallery effect for a video whose participants wanted the 'Brady Bunch' effect. The faces in the gallery were so small, no one noticed—and I knew they wouldn’t. Working only with screenshots, I meticulously assembled micro-segments, each just fractions of a second long, to create the illusion of a seamless, single shot. Once I had a smooth 10-second clip, I simply looped it to complete the effect.
Conclusion
This unexpected project not only helped me refine my video production skills but also underscored the power of storytelling—even in the most unplanned circumstances. With my part entirely improvised, and through humor and creativity, I turned a technical exercise into a compelling and widely shared series, proving that sometimes the best ideas emerge from spontaneous moments. Most importantly, after their ideological experiment ran its course, my "co-workers" eventually gave up their strike and negotiated better working conditions (read: more treats), and harmony was restored—at least until the next shoot. The unexpected skills I developed during this project not only enhanced my creative problem-solving abilities but also provided practical techniques that I successfully adapted for professional projects.