A dog seemed eager to make its voice heard in a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday, with the sound of its barking momentarily interrupting proceedings. 

Seemingly pro-European, the dog could be heard joining the applause at the end of a speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with its own contribution, starting to bark just after she concluded with the words, “long live Europe.” 

The sound led to perplexed looks and laughter around the hemicycle as European lawmakers looked for the source of the barking.  

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told the parliamentarians there was a support animal present.

“Dear colleagues, we must have a support animal in the house,” she told the house, before going on to introduce the European People’s Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber — though, not before almost succumbing to laughter for a second time herself.  

Taking to the podium to speak, Weber joked that the dog was “another supporter and fan of Ursula von der Leyen.”  

He then welcomed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez who was present for the sitting and, in a bizarre turn of events, reportedly holds the nickname “Sánchez the dog” for his canny political skills. 

Despite its light-hearted reception, the incident could spell doom for the aspirations of other animals eager to join their owners in the European halls of power, after Politico reported in March that the EC was considering piloting a bring-your-pet-to-work policy — a motion that could find less support after Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the week at the European Parliament seems resolutely more serious, with the war in Ukraine and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza on the legislative body’s agenda.