Nobody told Ryan Cofer that approaching his napping wife with a phone in hand would come with consequences, but that is exactly what happened when Bella, a five-year-old rat terrier, decided enough was enough. The small but fierce dog was sitting alert beside her owner, Majel Cofer, as she slept on the couch in their Texas home, and the moment Ryan moved in to film her, Bella launched into full protective mode. The clip quickly exploded on TikTok, racking up more than 2.6 million views and nearly 189,000 likes as viewers across the internet fell in love with the tiny self-appointed bodyguard.
In the video, Bella can be seen intensely growling and baring her teeth at Ryan as he approaches with his phone, creating a scene that was equal parts surprising and hilarious. The owners captioned the post with a playful note, “Don’t try to film me while I’m sleeping,” and the on-screen text spelled out the situation even more clearly. “When my husband tried to film me sleeping to show a friend, my bodyguard told him to back off and give up,” the caption read, and viewers wasted no time flooding the comments with laughter and admiration for the dog’s commitment to her owner.
For Majel Cofer, however, Bella’s reaction was anything but unexpected. The Cofers brought Bella home during the summer of 2025 after adopting her from a close friend who owned several dogs. “Bella is our rat terrier, about five years old. We got her in the summer of 2025 from a good friend who had multiple dogs,” Majel explained, adding that they had been given a heads-up about the dog’s personality. “They warned us she might be ‘a little spoiled’, at least with everyone except me,” she said.
@majellove Don’t try to video me sleeping!
♬ original sound – Majel Cofer (Wisotsky)
What the friend failed to mention, though, was just how deeply devoted Bella would become to Majel specifically. “What they didn’t warn us about is that Bella would immediately decide I was her life’s mission, which I love,” Majel said. The bond that developed between the two was almost instantaneous, with Bella essentially appointing herself as Majel’s full-time protector from the very first day. “From day one, she attached herself to me like velcro. She looks at me with those eyes that literally make me want to cry. Honestly, I didn’t know it was possible to love a pet this much,” Majel added.
The rat terrier, as a breed, was originally developed in the United States in the early 20th century as a farm dog and hunting companion, prized for its tenacity, speed, and sharp instincts. President Theodore Roosevelt is often credited with popularizing the name “rat terrier,” reportedly using the dogs at the White House to deal with a rat infestation. Despite their small size, rat terriers are known for being intensely loyal to their primary owners and can exhibit strong protective behaviors, which is exactly what makes Bella’s couch-guarding performance so perfectly on-brand for the breed. They are energetic, intelligent dogs that form tight bonds with their families, and while they are not typically classified as guard dogs, their alertness and willingness to sound the alarm, or in Bella’s case bare their teeth, makes them surprisingly effective at watching over the people they love most.
If you have a pet with an unexpectedly bold or protective personality, share your story in the comments!
