Matt Oakley's Breakup Anthem, "Can't Take The Dogs"

Matt Oakley puts his boot down in his new modern country single, “Can’t Take The Dogs.” The breakup anthem highlights a big issue in a lot of splits, and arguably the biggest issue – who gets the dogs.

"As true as the saying "all good jokes contain some truth" is in comedy, I think the same applies to writing music. I think listeners can hear the authenticity behind your lyrics, and so I always try to pull from real life experiences when I sit down to write. In this case, it was actually about my family dog when my parents split about 15 years ago," confesses Matt Oakley.

A year or so later, Matt Oakley's friend opened up about his own experience. “I was talking to a friend about a breakup they went through. They moved out, took the dog, and left everything else,” says Oakley. “I had this song written for a while but I booked studio time to finish it later that day.” 

From Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation to Chase Rice bringing his black lab Jack out on stage, country music loves its pets as much as it loves its whiskey and backroads. Matt Oakley is now highlighting his love in song, making it known that “you can take whatever you want, but you can’t take the dogs.” 

"I think most people have a soft spot for animals, especially household ones. Which is why I think it hits home to listeners. We tried to capture the emotion in the delivery of the song as well, as if I was actually saying it in real time to my Ex. It's just real and raw, based on a true story, which is how I have always wanted my songs to be."

“Can’t Take The Dogs” is available now on all streaming platforms. For more on Matt Oakley, follow him on Instagram @mattoakleymusic and TikTok @mattoakley.music.