By Leo Takahashi0
If it wasn't meant to be a toy, why is it shaped like a giant ball?
Mom only lifted the bright orange pumpkin for a second to ask what he thought, but Gussy had already made his executive decision. The Golden Retriever mix took two deliberate paces back, coiled his hind legs, and launched himself airborne to snatch it out of her hands.
Hearing her laugh and quickly pull the gourd out of reach, Gussy hit the brakes and dropped into a polite sit, wearing the wide-eyed face of an innocent pup whose noble intentions were completely misunderstood. To his mom, the pumpkins were seasonal front-porch decor meant to celebrate autumn. To Gussy, who chronicles his joyful everyday antics on Instagram under , anything round, orange, and movable was clearly an upgraded tennis ball awaiting his dental inspection.
Explaining property boundaries to an enthusiastic retriever mix is usually an uphill battle, and Gussy made sure his mom worked for every single squash. When she laid three pumpkins out on the grass outside, Gussy immediately sprawled out beside them and clamped his jaws firmly around one of the thick stems. Mom tried setting the house rules, laughing as she warned, “No, Gussy, hey, they’re not toys!” But Gussy remained completely unconvinced.
The real test came when Gussy managed to secure a smaller pie pumpkin all for himself. Scooping the entire gourd into his mouth, he trotted briskly down the hallway like a burglar making off with the crown jewels. The second he heard footsteps pursuing him, he didn't surrender—he kicked into turbo speed. Mom trailed closely behind, calling out, “Gussy, drop it, drop it!” He eventually complied, only to take the game into the living room moments later, rolling the miniature pumpkin across the rug with his nose, chasing it with frantic tail wags, and settling down to gnaw blissfully on the stem.
While Gussy was ready to conquer every harvest squash in sight, his bravery evaporated the second he encountered the spooky side of the holiday. During a neighborhood walk, he crossed paths with an artificial tombstone planted in a front lawn. Instead of pouncing, Gussy stopped dead in his tracks. He stretched his long neck forward for a cautious sniff while keeping all four paws anchored firmly behind him. Then, deciding the styrofoam grave was far too suspicious, he let out a sharp bark and scrambled backward until Mom stepped in with a reassuring laugh, telling him, “Gussy, it’s okay.”
Dog lovers on Instagram instantly related to Gussy’s unshakeable canine logic about round household objects:
For anyone sharing a home with a Golden Retriever, Gussy's fall obsession is a familiar brand of canine humor. Dogs are naturally drawn to the rolling, erratic movement of round squashes, which trigger the same chasing instincts as an oversized tennis ball. Woody pumpkin stems also offer a crunchy, stick-like resistance that satisfies a dog's urge to gnaw. While fresh, plain pumpkin puree is famously gentle on canine digestion, raw whole pumpkins can present real choking hazards if aggressive chewers splinter the tough rind or swallow fibrous stems whole—making Mom's persistent trade-and-drop game the right call for safety.
As reported by DogTime, Gussy's seasonal antics prove that no matter how hard pet parents try to set a serene autumn vibe, the family dog will always see the living room as an open-season playground.
