A viral TikTok video showing an Australian shepherd playing fetch has left viewers in stitches thanks to an unexpected twist: there is no ball at all.
The clip shows the brown-and-white dog enthusiastically chasing after something invisible while his owner pretends to throw it across a grassy field. Text layered over the footage explains the reason for the unusual game, reading that the owner is “playing imaginary fetch,” adding, “because he likes to chew up every ball he has.” The video has earned over 792,000 views since it was shared.
Posted on February 23 by owner Alexis (@aaboner), the video begins with the dog dutifully returning the nonexistent “ball” to her hand. Alexis then launches nothing into the air, and the Australian shepherd immediately sprints off, clearly convinced the game is real. Moments later, he bounds back, tongue dangling out of his mouth, ready and waiting for the next throw.
According to the caption, the pair repeated the game around 30 times, racking up more than 172,000 likes in the process.
Viewers quickly flooded the comments with amusement and admiration for the dog’s commitment to the game.
“He brought it back,” one user wrote, to which Alexis replied: “Every single time.”
Another commenter praised the pup’s creativity, writing, “He’s got good imagination skills.”
Not everyone was convinced the dog believed in the invisible ball, however. One user offered a different theory, saying: “I wonder if he thinks you think it’s real so he’s just going along with it [because] he doesn’t want to break it to [you]?”
Alexis appeared to agree with that assessment, responding: “He’s very empathetic so honestly that’s [probably] what it is.”
Other dog owners chimed in with their own fetch-related struggles. “My dog doesn’t understand he has to bring the ball back for me to get it for him, or he’ll bring it half way back and forget and drop it,” one commenter shared. “It ends up being more exercise for me than him.”
Alexis later noted in the comments that imaginary fetch is a “low effort” game and an especially cost-effective one. That may resonate with many pet owners, given the rising cost of caring for animals.
In September 2024, a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Talker Research for Newsweek found that Gen Z pet owners spend an average of $148.50 per month on their pets, the highest of any generation surveyed. Millennials followed closely at $136.20 per month, while the Silent Generation reported the lowest average monthly spend at $68.90.
The survey also showed wide variation in Gen Z spending habits, with 13 percent spending under $50 per month, 31 percent spending between $50 and $100, and nearly one-third spending more than $150. For Alexis and her ball-loving Australian Shepherd, imagination may be the cheapest toy of all.
Newsweek is waiting for Alexis to provide a comment.