The phenomenon has been observed by several dog owners and fans of the Apple TV+ series Severance. A normally calm golden retriever begins to whine and flee the room as soon as an episode starts. Or another four-legged friend begins to... tremble like a dead leaf, according to testimonies collected by the Washington Post.
Anxiety-inducing sound design
According to Jacob Ribicoff, the series' sound engineer, several sound elements could explain this canine panic. Severance uses high-pitched, crackling sounds around the transitions between the different levels of the Lumon building, including elevator beeps and access card scans. "These are sounds at "These are high-frequency, very precise and sharp sounds that can bother dogs without us humans perceiving them in the same way," he explains.
Dogs have much more acute hearing than humans and pick up sound frequencies that are imperceptible to us. Courtney Campbell, a veterinarian, explains that these noises intensely stimulate their auditory sensitivity. "A low-pitched sound can give them the impression that a predator is nearby, while a high-pitched sound can be associated with a warning," he says.
Beyond the sound, the impact of the series on its viewers could also explain the dogs' reaction. Severance creates an oppressive atmosphere, alternating between innocuous sounds and darker tones to create a sense of unease. Jacob Ribicoff explains: "We want to move from the banal to the surreal in a gradual and unsettling way."
Viewers, absorbed by the plot, unconsciously react to this tension, which can in turn worry their pets. Dogs are very receptive to human emotions, and an anxious owner can easily transmit this feeling to their four-legged companion.
Finally, one last element that could explain the dogs' behavior: the marked presence of the color blue in the aesthetic of the series. Experts say that blue is a color that dogs perceive very well. While this shade symbolizes order and rigor in Severance, it could, for dogs, make certain scenes more visible and all the more disturbing.
If your dog reacts badly to the series, there's no need to look for a mystical explanation: they're simply more sensitive to sounds and visual stimuli than you think. And if you want to avoid stressing your pet, there's one radical solution: subtitles and good headphones.
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