An interaction between Michael Bloomberg and a dog is going viral after the former New York City mayor attempted to say hello by shaking the animal’s snout.
The attempted greeting took place during a campaign event in Burlington, Vermont, on Monday. In the clip, which has already been viewed more than 900,000 times on Twitter, the Democratic presidential candidate shakes hands with a man, before turning his attention to a dog.
But, rather than petting the wagging dog on its head, Mr Bloomberg instead reaches around the animal's nose and shakes its face.
After a few seconds, it seems that the presidential hopeful remembered that greetings meant for humans aren’t the same ones used for animals - at which point he gave the dog a few head scratches.
The bizarre moment has prompted a mixture of reactions on social media, ranging from confusion to amusement.
“I regret to inform you that Mike Bloomberg attempted to shake a dog’s head,” one person captioned the video.
Another said: “Michael Bloomberg… just greeted a dog… by giving it a handshake… on its face.”
Others questioned whether Mr Bloomberg’s decision to shake the pup's snout could be because he has never met a dog.
“Is this the first time Michael Bloomberg has ever pet a dog?” someone asked.
However, as evidenced by a picture shared to social media, the interaction was not the first time the former mayor had attempted to greet a dog with a mouth shake.
“This is SO. WEIRD,” one person summed up the politician’s questionable habit.
