After their cheeky Labrador decided to take a bite of the thawed turkey, the pet owner's Thanksgiving meal did not go as planned.

Remember that removing the bird from the refrigerator in time to thaw and cook was one of the biggest challenges before the holidays, which put Justin Litchfield in a difficult position.

Instead of defrosting it in the refrigerator as suggested, Litchfield left frozen meat on the counter. The BBC Good Food website claims that traditionally every 2 kg of turkey should be allowed 24 hours.

He didn't seem to think of anything, and left the things in the center unattended in the kitchen, which caught his dog's attention.

When humans were distracted, Golden Lab seized the opportunity to chew the bird and took a bite of what Justin called "butt".

He filmed the results, and the pink flesh now has some obvious bite marks.

Litchfield filmed the hilarious incident and shared the clip to his TikTok account @justinlitchfield1. He said, “So we put the turkey outside to thaw, and when we got home, its entire butt was gone.”

The video first showed the bird being chewed, then captured the innocent reaction of the dog staring at the turkey, and then Lichfield filmed his own laughter.

He seemed to confirm that they still eat turkey because he captioned the clip: "My dog ​​has come to him. However, we just let the raw turkey do this."

Since it was uploaded on Thursday, this video has been viewed more than 16 million times and can be seen here because people found the dog’s reaction to be funny.

My dog ​​has it to come to him. We just let raw turkey do this ☠️ #fyp #thanskgiving #turkey #labrador

Danielle Malone commented: "I have never seen such a guilty person."

And Anila thought to herself: "He looks so innocent."

Sarah Tusignan wrote: "I can't just imagine it's nibbling something. Although it's good, leave it inconspicuously on the counter. They won't even notice after another bite."

Kdawg insisted: "This dog is innocent, he was framed."

Agreed, Tesla Boisseau added: "His eyes are that the house has been broken into."

And Bella and O'Hara said: "In his defense, he did leave you. He just took his share."

In the comments, Litchfield confirmed that his dog survived eating raw poultry.

"PSA: My dog ​​is great for people who are worried about him." If you see me defrosting turkey on the counter, you don't," he joked.

The Pure Pet Food website claims that the dog’s digestive system can handle raw meat, including turkey.

They said: "Yes, dogs can eat raw turkey, but it is more likely to make them sick than cooked meat, especially if they are not used to eating it raw.

"Raw turkey meat, like any raw meat, has a small chance of carrying bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, so you need to be careful about cross-contamination."

Although they pointed out that raw turkey neck is a good treat for dogs, because it is regarded as "raw bones" and provides them with "protein, calcium and phosphorus supplements."

In response to many people claiming that he should thaw the bird in the refrigerator, Lichfield pointed out: "Guys, if I thaw it correctly, we will miss a funny opportunity. Happy Thanksgiving."

Newsweek contacted Lichfield for comments.

11/30/21, 4:16 AM EST Update: The photo in this article has been updated.

You have 4 free articles this month

Enjoy Newsweek’s free newsletter with 5 million readers