Most of us would love to see our name up in lights one day. And apparently, that is true even of dogs.

There’s just something special about watching yourself in a movie or on TV, it really makes you feel like you are the center of attention.

One German Shepherd got to be in the spotlight, for a small audience.

Rocky, who is almost one year old, has already achieved something many of us don’t get to experience in our lifetimes. He saw himself on TV.

Okay, so it wasn’t an appearance on a famous show or anything like that, but it definitely feels pretty exciting regardless. One day, Rocky’s parents sat him down in front of the television and showed him some clips from his past.

The video they show him seem to encompass a lot of his life so far.

While Rocky is watching the television, the screen shows a few different scenes.

The first one is Rocky being called to the couch by his owner, and then barking with him. Another one is a very cute bath time video from when Rocky looks much younger and smaller.

Throughout the clips, you can hear Rocky’s distinctive bark, both on-screen and off.

Rocky’s reaction to his ‘big break’ is pretty relatable.

Suffice it to say, Rocky gets pretty excited about what he sees on TV.

From the beginning of the clip, his ears start perking up, a telltale sign that a dog is excited and paying attention. He keeps looking off-camera, almost as if to ask his owners if he can believe what he is seeing.

And once the dog onscreen starts barking, Rocky barks along too. To be fair, we would probably react in a similar way.

So is Rocky really “recognizing” himself?

Dogs don’t have the same level of self-awareness that humans or other animals such as chimpanzees or dolphins have. They are unable to recognize themselves in a mirror and may be more likely to think that they are in fact staring at a different dog.

Dogs watch TV because they are attracted to the flashing lights and movement, but their main forms of identifying anyone are through scent.

That all being said, dogs can sometimes be trained to recognize faces, and perhaps Rocky knows what his own bark sounds like! German Shepherds are some of the smartest dogs, so it’s possible that Rocky could in fact be recognizing himself.

Many people agree that it is delightful to watch a dog get so excited like this.

In just about a month, this video has earned over 1 million views and 12 thousand likes. It also has many people commenting on the hilarity and cuteness of watching Rocky react to himself.

One user imagined some internal dialogue by writing:

“Rocky be like ‘why this puppy makes these noises? w-wait… is that me?'”

Another person commented:

“ROCKY: ‘Wait a minute…how can I be THERE if I’m actually HERE?!?'”

This video is delightful for everyone, especially Rocky.

He gets so excited to watch himself! He even gets closer to the screen for a better look.

Watch the adorable video down below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: American Kennel Club, The Bark, Rocky