A border collie patiently teaching a golden retriever puppy how to play her favorite game has melted hearts online, with viewers praising the older dog for her gentle, teacher-like approach.
The sweet moment was captured by 23-year-old Grace Dower, who filmed her family’s border collie, Belle, showing her golden retriever puppy, Buzz, how to play with a giant tetherball. At just 14 weeks old, Buzz was clearly intrigued by the game but had no idea how to make the ball move. Instead of getting frustrated, Belle calmly stepped in and showed him what to do.
Dower, who lives in Columbus, said watching the interaction unfold was impossible not to smile at.
“I thought it was the cutest thing ever,” she said, explaining that she immediately grabbed her phone and shared the clip on Buzz’s TikTok account, @thegoldenboybuzz.
According to Dower, tetherball has always been Belle’s favorite game, and she seemed genuinely excited that the puppy wanted to join in.
“Belle is very athletic and loves to play that game, and I think she was excited that Buzz took an interest,” Dower explained. “So she started trying to teach him how to do it so they could play together.”
Seeing the two dogs interact so positively meant a lot to her.
“I was so happy to see them getting along. It was a clear depiction of how key Belle was in training a new puppy.”
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The video quickly took off on social media, racking up more than 276,000 views and over 40,000 likes. Viewers flooded the comments praising Belle’s patience, especially the way she paused, watched Buzz try on his own, and then gently demonstrated again.
Although Belle and Buzz are now 6 and 3 years old, the bond between them is still strong. The dogs don’t get to spend as much time together these days, as Dower now lives in Ohio with Buzz while Belle remains at the family home in Skaneateles. Still, whenever they’re reunited, they quickly fall back into their routine, often heading straight for a game of tetherball.
“Belle likes order, so she definitely bosses Buzz around,” Dower said. “But he’s good at following the rules, so they play together all the time, including fetch and swimming in the pool.”
The overwhelmingly positive response caught Dower by surprise. While Buzz has gone viral before, she said this moment struck a different chord.
“The reaction has been crazy,” she shared, adding that messages poured in from people around the world. The heartwarming clip even earned the duo a feature on Good Morning America.
Commenters couldn’t get enough of Belle’s calm coaching style.
“The way she just sat and watched before trying again,” one person wrote.
“Can’t wait to see them become besties for the resties,” another added.
One viewer summed it up simply: “This is one of the best things I’ve seen today.”