As a veterinarian, Charlene Longhi knows that, despite her good intentions, not every one of her animal patients will always be so excited to see her — a trip to the vet can be a scary experience for a pet, after all.

But Longhi’s mere presence even outside her clinic seems to have struck a nerve with one particular pup.

A few weeks ago, Longhi was dressed for work and driving near her home in Brazil when she caught the attention of a random passenger during a slowdown in traffic. It was a little dog riding shotgun in a car just up ahead.

Longhi, of course, smiled at the sight of the adorable pup. But the pup’s reaction was a little different.

Noticing, perhaps, that Longhi looked very much to be some rogue vet in pursuit of him — a nightmare scenario for any doctor-shy dog — the furry potential patient didn’t hesitate to let his displeasure be known.

The little dog’s yaps and snarls seemed to be from a mix of dread and disbelief. Like, how did she find him? He thought he was safe, just out for a drive.

Longhi, meanwhile, took the road rage in stride: “I found the situation very funny,” she told The Dodo.

Though Longhi is fairly certain she’s never had that particular dog as a patient before, she’s withholding judgement about having gotten off on the wrong paw that day.

“If he were in my clinic, it would be a pleasure to serve him,” she said.