Woman Shares Video of Her Dog Playing Fetch With Fireman as She Lay 'Dying'

A Labrador retriever thought a group of emergency workers were there to play fetch with him, in a video that has 7.2 million views.

TikTok user @haleyjoklein shared the clip on February 3 of her Labrador trying to encourage the firemen to play with him, despite his owner receiving medical attention in the bathroom.

Alongside the home-security footage, Klein included the caption: "Never forget my dog bringing the fireman his ball and playing fetch while I'm dying on the bathroom floor and EMTs are trying to get me up."

It's not known why the emergency workers were present at her home, but thankfully Klein could see the humor in her dog's mischief. She wrote: "He was just happy for friends."

The American Kennel Club [AKC] refers to Labradors as "famously friendly" and willing to become anyone's companion. However, this also makes them very enthusiastic and high-energy. The AKC adds that the breed can be an "enthusiastic athlete" and requires a great deal of playtime.

The video shows one fireman taking a keen liking to the Labrador and willingly keeping the dog occupied, while medical equipment is brought into the house.

Leigh Siegfried from dog-training company Opportunity Barks suggests that owners should make sure their pet has a crate or a room where they can go in an emergency.

The dog trainer and behaviorist told Newsweek: "If a dog is taught how to target a crate or a room, or be able to go to a spot on cue, then it can be really useful in these scenarios."

Siegfried added: "That's totally depending on the person being able-bodied or capable to cue that. Ideally, if a dog can be comfortable being crated or going into a room, that's the best-case scenario to get the dog out of the way, especially if there are any territorial-based concerns with a stranger coming into the home."

Siegfried's suggestion of making sure the dog is comfortable in a crate will allow the emergency workers to continue their job without distraction or interference. It can also provide a calm space for the dog, too.

Since Klein shared the footage to TikTok, the video has received 1.3 million likes and over 7,000 comments. Plenty of viewers praised the dog's playfulness with a total stranger, and many suggested it's very typical of a Labrador.

One user commented: "They say the grief period is different for everyone," and another wrote: "He's like, I'm here for a good time, not a long time."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.