Watch as Adorably Floofy Golden Retriever Gets a Little Too Curious About New Duck Friends and Go for a Swim

Emily Schroeder
·2 min read
dog taking his walk in a pond
dog taking his walk in a pond

Courtesy of winthegolden / TikTok

What started as a leisurely stroll for this doggo quickly turned into a more exciting game of duck-duck-goose. Meet Winston, a curious golden retriever from Charlotte, N.C., who just couldn't resist investigating some ducks during a walk through the park.

Posted on his TikTok account, winthegolden, this video shows Winston paddling along in the middle of a canal, still attached to his leash, while you hear a memefied record scratch followed by the voiceover saying, "Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation."

The answer: Winston was walking along the canal at Charlotte's Freedom Park on a beautiful, sunny day. Then he saw the trio of ducks in the water. Without hesitation, Winston leapt into the water, swimming toward the enticing water birds—nearly taking his owner with him and causing the camera to spin. Whoops!

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The hilarious misadventure, posted Jan. 10, has so far earned 7.4 million views. Later last week, Winston's account posted another video—this one with additional context.

This time, we hear Winston's owner (regrettably, it turns out) saying, "Winston what are those?" as he trots by the floating birds. As he readies his jump into the water, his owner realizes it's too late.

"No! Oh! Winston!" she says as he flops into the water. The next we hear from her, she's encouraging her now-swimming dog to rejoin her on land for a soggy walk home. The 16-second video earned another 1.4 million views.

(Yes, the water does appear to be green, but Winston's owner wrote in some comments that she spoke with some veterinarians after her dog's unplanned swim. Plus, you're more likely to see something like blue-green algae—which is toxic to dogs—in the summer months.)

But we can't really blame this adorable golden. Experts will tell you how friendly and playful they are, and their love for retrieving is right there in the name—hence their skill as hunting dogs, too. So it's hard to blame ol' Win—his doggie instincts took over when he spotted those ducks, golden retriever-style!

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Taking your dog on regular walks helps with their physical and mental fitness—plus some added excitement if you spot some wildlife. But, we've learned from Winston, it's better to look and not chase, especially when you're exploring a city park.

And if you ever wonder how often you should be walking your dog, check out these factors to help assess their exercise plan. It's the leash you could do.