A woman was playing fetch with her pups in her front garden when a shy neighbourhood dog appeared with his own ball and made a few heartwarming gestures as he ‘asked’ to join in on the fun
Dogs are incredibly expressive beings. You can often gauge their emotions simply by observing their body language and behaviour. This holds true whether it’s your own family pet or a pooch you’ve just encountered, as they’re all equally expressive.
The RSPCA advises if you’re ever unsure about a dog’s signals or body language, look for signs of relaxation such as tail wagging, an open mouth with the tongue hanging out, and ears in their natural position. These are indications the dog is happy and content. Meanwhile, a nervous dog might sit down, avoid eye contact, and have its ears pinned back.
An angry or extremely unhappy dog might stand with its fur raised, show its teeth, and have its tail either stiffly raised or tucked between their legs.
Given this, one dog owner named Drew was taken aback when a seemingly shy and nervous dog appeared in her front garden while she was playing fetch with her own pup, evidently wanting to join in the fun.
Drew began filming as the dog, who she later discovered was called Rancher, cautiously approached her before carefully dropping his own ball a few feet away before slowly nudging it towards her, clearly hoping she would throw it.
However, Rancher kept looking away, avoiding Drew’s gaze as he gradually moved closer to her, showing he was clearly a bit nervous about the unknown human.
Drew shared the sweet moment on her video, gushing: “We have a new dog in the neighbourhood! He saw us playing ball with our dogs and nervously showed up with his ball. He is still a little shy of me, but he let me get his ball! I love this neighbourhood.”
As Rancher slowly inched close enough for Drew to grab his ball, she happily obliged. As she tossed it across her front garden like with her own dogs, Rancher quickly after it eagerly, blending right in with the pack.
In the caption of her viral clip, which has been viewed over 4.2 million times, Drew wrote: “His name is Rancher and he is getting used to the neighbourhood really well.”
The heartwarming tale became even sweeter when Rancher’s owner wrote in the comments: “Our boy. Thanks for loving him. He LOVES his ball.”
To this, Drew replied: “We absolutely love him! I WILL pet him by summers end.”
Others chimed into the comments too, with one person romantically musing: “‘Tis indeed a beautiful day in the neighbourhood when a dog comes and ask ‘Won’t you be my neighbour?'”
Someone else also wrote: “I love how your dogs didn’t even question it. Just accepted him immediately.”
A third commenter was charmed by Rancher’s politeness, writing: “So cute he went back home to get his own ball so he doesn’t upset anyone. I love dogs so much.”