Joey Santore, 36, never expected to get famous for posting videos about nature. But on Thursday, the Chicagoland native went viral when a profanity-laden clip of him comforting a sick coyote pup surfaced on Twitter, garnering upwards of 8 million views. “I’m not going to fuck with you,” he promises as he chases the pup, who eventually relents and sits in the grass. “That’s cute, you think you’re tough. I believe you; I believe you’re so tough.”

Beyond the tenderheartedness, what really made the video was Santore’s thick, Bill Swerski-esque Chicago accent. “I’m in absolute awe of the sheer depth of his accent,” Twitter user @kevinefarrell commented. In real life, his lilt isn’t nearly so exaggerated. Santore, who also goes by Joe Blowe and Tony Santoro online (none are his real name, for privacy reasons), grew up in La Grange and lived there until he went to college in California.