Looks.
Waits.
But there is no second dog moving toward him.
The explosive lunging stops.
That simple environmental change provides one of the clearest pieces of information in the entire case.
Whatever is driving Nico's reaction, the reflection itself is central to it.
That Doesn't Mean Nico “Doesn't Know Who He Is”
Humans understand mirrors and reflections in a way that should not automatically be projected onto dogs.
Nico does not need a concept of personal identity for his reaction to make sense.
A reflected image can simply present confusing visual information.
It looks like a dog.
It moves like a dog.
But it lacks many of the other signals Nico would normally receive from a real animal.
There Is No Scent From the Dog in the Glass
Dogs gather enormous amounts of social information through smell.
A real unfamiliar dog would provide odor.
The reflection does not.
Nico sees an animal-shaped image behaving with extraordinary precision, yet the expected sensory information is missing.
That mismatch may contribute to confusion.
It cannot by itself explain why Nico becomes so distressed, but it is important context.
The Glass Also Removes Normal Social Responses
If Nico approaches a real dog, that dog can turn away independently.
It can retreat.
Look elsewhere.
Sniff.
Move sideways.
Offer signals unrelated to Nico's own body.
The reflection cannot.
It is locked to him.
If Nico becomes more confrontational, the image becomes more confrontational at exactly the same rate.
Retreat Creates Another Strange Experience
Nico runs away.
Then he looks back.
The reflected dog has also moved away.
When Nico approaches again, it returns.
From Nico's perspective, the visual pattern may remain difficult to resolve.
Again, staff cannot know exactly what Nico thinks he is seeing.
They can only observe that he repeatedly returns to investigate.
His Return Is What Makes the Case So Different
If Nico were simply terrified of the glass, distance should solve the immediate problem.
He creates distance.
Then gives it up.
If he were merely eager to reach another dog, the sudden retreat would be harder to explain.
Instead, Nico appears caught between two responses.
He wants distance.
Then he needs to check again.
Curiosity and Distress Can Exist Together
Behavior does not always fit into one simple emotional category.
A dog can be frightened by something and still investigate it.
An uncertain stimulus may produce both avoidance and approach.
That conflict can create exactly the kind of back-and-forth pattern Nico displays.
Approach.
Retreat.
Approach again.