Video of cute dog playing ‘river fetch’ by itself goes viral

A video of a dog using a river current to play a solo game of ‘fetch’ has gone viral.

In the clip, which was filmed from a river bank near Kobe in Japan, the dog is seen deliberately dropping a ball into the water, then running downstream to retrieve it.

Once he has got the ball, the unbearably cute canine then runs back upstream to drop the ball into the river all over again.

YouTube commenters initially considered the video clip to be terribly depressing, assuming the dog was a lonely stray forced to play by itself.

Since the clip went viral, however, the owner has come forward to confirm that the dog is well-looked after and far from lonely, adding that ‘river fetch’ is just one of his favourite games.