On July 21st, Matt Hardin was filming his dog, Riley, howl at an approaching storm, when he noticed that there was something oddly familiar about the pup’s wail. After listening a few more times, Hardin realized Riley was basically howling “Toxic’s” instrumental hook.
"At first I thought he was just howling at the storm that was rolling through, but when I rewatched the video, I noticed that the sound he was making was oddly familiar," Hardin told Teen Vogue. "After watching it like 30 times, I actually said out loud, 'Oh my God, Riley, were you just singing 'Toxic?!' and then I proceeded to freak out. He looked at me sideways at first, then jumped in my lap."