Turns out, if you’ve got a cliff and a determined dog, throwing the ball yourself is kind of optional. The video, shared by @dognamedstella, is a pretty solid reminder that slowing down doesn’t have to mean stopping altogether. Stella, a 12-year-old Labrador Retriever, has officially mastered the art of playing fetch by herself using the height of her family’s patio. This senior dog carefully nudges her favorite ball over the edge, watching it tumble down toward the water below before racing off to start the rescue mission. It is a brilliant bit of self-entertainment that has the internet calling her a total icon.
Senior dog plays fetch with herself in video that’s making everyone smile
The footage captures Stella throwing her ball off the patio, watching it bounce several times before it drops into the lake. She and her sister immediately race down a winding path on the cliff to reach the shore. Age doesn’t seem to slow her down at all as she heads into the water to collect her ball like it’s no big deal. Anyone familiar with Labradors will recognize how at home she looks in the water as she paddles back to shore.
She carries the ball all the way back up to the patio just to drop it again. The in-video text mentions that Stella basically taught herself this entire routine. Her owners cheered her on from the terrace, shouting “Good girl!” as she completed lap after lap. Even as the sun began to set, Stella was still running down the path and jumping in for more.
The video has already pulled in over 77K likes, and people can’t seem to get enough of her routine. Commenters are calling her a “clever girl” and praising the great brain stimulation she’s giving herself.
It’s hard not to smile seeing her trot back up the path with the ball firmly in her mouth. From the way the video ends, this seems like exactly how Stella chose to spend her day — on repeat, without complaints. Her owner sums it up best, pointing out that dogs often figure things out on their own when given the space.
