There’s nothing that quite brings out an inner child - or puppy - like a big pile of leaves, and golden retriever Darcy proves that she’s still young at heart in this adorable clip.
Only the tip of 13-year-old Darcy’s wagging tail can be seen at first, as the goldie rustles around in the huge mound of leaves in search of her tennis ball.
Moments later she pops her head out of the pile with the ball in her mouth, looking very pleased with herself as her owners give her a celebratory cheer.
Darcy’s owner Ali Cohen, from Surrey, says that leaf piles and her tennis ball are two of the dog’s “greatest loves in life”, and getting older certainly hasn’t deterred Darcy from her fun games.
Despite having cataracts, Ali says that Darcy hasn’t lost her fetching skills - and “would play catch all day given half a chance”.
Darcy, affectionately nicknamed “Lady D”, has also had arthritis since she was four years old, and Ali was told two years ago by a vet that there was “no way she should still be walking”.
She now has a pull-along trolley that she travels to her favourite park in to make the journey easier for her tired legs.
But her condition doesn’t stop the “determined” dog from living each day to the fullest, says Ali, as is evident in the heart-warming clip. “I’m not sure how much longer she’s got, but she enjoys life to the max for now.”
The video of Darcy was posted in a golden retriever group on Facebook, where members dubbed it the “cutest video ever” and said it had “made their day”.
“Goldens are forever puppies,” one person commented on Darcy’s playful nature.
“And what were the chances she’d give up looking for that ball? 0% chance!” another joked.
Darcy isn’t the only dog who’s been enjoying the leaves lately.
The joy of this group of corgis was infectious as they found a huge pile of fallen leaves to play in, often disappearing out of sight in the mound due to their short stature.
The five corgis, called Rusty, Skillet, Sierra, Muffin and Willow, were dubbed “leaf bunnies” for their style of bunny hopping playfully through the leaves.
And goofy Dalmatian Otto can’t get enough of leaf piles either - autumn seems to be the adorable pup’s favourite season, as another video shows him having the time of his life in the leaves.
