Every now and then, a video pops up online that feels so calming you can’t help but hit replay, and this clip is no exception. It opens with Stella, a Labrador, gliding through a lake so calm it looks like glass, her golden coat cutting a trail across the surface. She keeps her mouth clamped shut to block the water, making those tiny sniff-sniff sounds even louder and cuter. “So what kind of ASMR are you into?” the post asks. Well, if the answer is “dog swimming with sound effects you didn’t know you needed,” this clip delivers in spades.
Instagram video shows Labradors sniffing while swimming
A recent video by @dognamedstella on Instagram has become the new ASMR for netizens. Labradors are built for the water, and Stella and her sister Mabel prove it with every stroke. Whenever Stella swims toward the lens, the mix of snorts and gentle ripples turns into background noise you could actually relax to. Viewers loved it too — one comment that is overlayed on the video says, “The sniff sniff sniffs really made it for me.”
Then comes the overhead shot, her back legs kicking furiously like propellers. Her tail splashes rhythmically in the water. If you closed your eyes, you’d swear you were at a spa with waves lapping on the shore.
Just when you think it can’t get better, Stella’s sister Mabel joins in. Two dogs, double the sniffing, double the splash symphony. The last shot hangs on them swimming away together (maybe there’s a friendly race happening, who knows?), tails flicking just enough to keep the water moving. It feels cinematic, but in the easiest, most natural way.
The clip has already drawn over 51K likes, with fans chiming in on everything from Stella’s “sniff sonar” to her “amphibrador” skills. One viewer admitted, “The sound I didn’t know I needed but now am listening to on repeat.” Another summed it up best: “THIS HAS RESTORED MY SOUL.” And honestly, they’re right. Stella’s swim could be the most soothing thing you’ll scroll past all day.
