The internet has been baffled by a dog trying to play fetch in the water, only to return with more than he anticipated.
A video by TikTok user @kanem10 has gone viral since being posted on July 26, racking up more than 1.2 million likes and a whopping 10.7 million views in a matter of days.
At first, the video appears to be a simple clip of Ottis the dog swimming in a pond, fetching a ball his owner has thrown.
But, as words over the video—”How does this happen?!”—suggests, things suddenly get very strange.
As Ottis swims to the ball to grab it, a large fish appears from under the water and tries to swallow it.
Ottis ignores the fish, identified by his owner as a bass, and grabs the ball. But as he swims back, the fish isn’t letting go—and he returns to the shallow water with both the ball and the fish.
And even when Ottis drops the ball, the fish keeps the ball in its mouth, and swims lazily backwards.
Just a normal day of fetch until a bass had the audacity to steal this ball… don’t think i’ll ever see that again! #dogsoftiktok #fishing #fishtok #dogs #fishlived #1inamillion
Ottis’s owner wrote in the caption: “Just a normal day of fetch until a bass had the audacity to steal this ball. Don’t think I’ll ever see that again!”
Bass are both freshwater and marine fish species found across the world, and are prized by anglers for their large size—and willingness to put up a fight, according to A-Z Animals.
They eat everything from insects and plankton to fish, frogs and birds, and Largemouth bass regularly eat prey up to 50 percent of their size, and sometimes up to 70 percent of their size.
TikTok users loved the bizarre video, with one commenter summing it up: “Dog is confused, fish is confused, human is confused. Video is a masterpiece.”
“Fish biting everything but my lure,” one person despaired, as another joked Ottis is “gonna get a ticket for fishing without a license.”
One pointed out: “Look how gentle he’s holding the ball so he doesn’t hurt the fishy,” another agreeing: “You could see the confusion where he wants his ball, but doesn’t want to hurt the fish,” calling Ottis a “gentle soul.”
And another joked: “I’m a vet and this is actually because the fish thinks he’s a dog.”
Newsweek has contacted @adventuresof_ottis via TikTok for comment on this story.
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