“She Climbed That Man Like a Tree” — DoorDasher Afraid of Dogs Gets Into Rom-Com Scenario

TikTok, to no one’s surprise, is at it again, delivering another dose of real-life hilarity we didn’t know we needed. Nolan (@nolanloomis) recently shared a viral video that’s racked up over 17.7 million views—a DoorDash delivery turned rom-com, all thanks to an unexpected canine cameo.

The video starts off in typical DoorDash fashion: A young delivery woman approaches a house, food bag in hand, captured perfectly by the homeowner's Ring doorbell. With the most nonchalant energy, she drops the food by the door and says, "Oh, here go your food." But before the transaction can wrap up smoothly, things take a turn.

Enter the family dogs — furry balls of energy charging toward the door, barking with excitement. Instead of calmly stepping back, the delivery driver lets out a scream and, in a panic, leaps directly into the arms of the bewildered homeowner.

Like something straight out of a romantic comedy, she’s suddenly cradled by the man as he tries to calm her, gently repeating, "It's OK, it's OK, they're friendly." Her only response, eyes wide in terror: "I don’t like dogs! I don’t like dogs!"

It’s a moment that TikTok couldn’t get enough of. One viewer nailed it, commenting, "She went from 'Here go your food' to 'Here I go catch me!' 😂😂😂." Another wrote, "Welp, she’s your baby now 😭" because, honestly, once someone jumps into your arms, you kind of adopt them, don’t you?

While the video brought plenty of laughs, many were quick to sympathize with the delivery driver. One user pointed out, "She is so sweet 😭😭😭 Bless her. She just has a real fear of dogs and I understand. ❤️"

Turns out, cynophobia—the fear of dogs—is one of the most common phobias in the United States. Roughly 1 in 20 Americans are affected by it, making it a very real struggle for many people.

In her defense, cynophobia is no joke. When that fear hits, it doesn’t matter if it’s a tiny chihuahua or the friendliest golden retriever — fight or flight kicks in, and sometimes flight means leaping into the nearest set of arms.

The comments also demanded answers: "Did you carry her back to the car or ??" Well, Nolan didn’t leave us hanging. In a follow-up video, which has 2.2M views, we see the homeowner actually carry the DoorDash driver part of the way to her car, after which she scrambles the rest of the distance to get inside. One commenter summed it up: "People really think people are playing, but some people are really scared of dogs!"

This TikTok reminded viewers just how entertaining and oddly touching these random moments can be. Whether you’re someone who’d jump into a stranger’s arms to escape a dog or the person steady enough to catch someone mid-panic, it’s a sweet reminder of how unpredictable life can be.

Cynophobia is real, and while it may be hilarious to watch from a distance, we can’t help but feel for our brave Dasher. She delivered the food and got carried away — literally.

And while there may be some people who don't understand the fear the DoorDash driver in question has of dogs, it's not like there aren't real-world statistics discussing attacks delivery drivers sustain from canines.

One legal team penned an article discussing a disturbing trend among delivery workers for online shopping retailers such as Amazon, and the attacks they've sustained while in the line of duty. According to this blog post on the topic, there's been a massive increase of dog attacks on delivery workers.