That made me laugh and cry at the same time. We had to put our last dog, Sadie, down just a little over 2 weeks ago. She was a Collie Heeler cross that was just about as persistent as the dog in the video, always dropping a ball by the feet of whoever was closest.
When I was in the shop, there would be a constant "thunk, thunk", as she kept insistently dropping a ball by my feet or chair while I worked. Steady as could be!
The best one was when we had a family gathering here last summer, in our new shop which was still very clean and uncluttered. Sadie was in her glory, dropping a ball at random by any takers in the group of around 30 people sitting there.
When she decided it was my turn, I tossed it up onto the mezzanine, a routine to which she had grown accustomed long before. She bolted up the steps, found it and retrieved the ball, to the cheers and clapping of all the amused onlookers.
But then she showboated.
She brought the ball back to the group and very slowly and deliberately walked all the way around the inside of the circle of chairs. Looking directly in each person's face, she was showing off the ball firmly held in her toothy grip, practically walking on her tiptoes!
Her tail was wagging vigorously and the corners of her mouth pulled back in the cheekiest grin ever. The grin grew wider as the crowd roared with laughter and she just soaked it up before choosing the next ball-tosser.
Sadie was a gamer, but poor health brought on by old age finally made her drop the ball for the last time.
One tattered tennis ball and two orange ball hockey balls still lie out in the yard and I haven't yet summoned the heart to pick them up. I don't even mind stumbling over them every now and then . . .