Dogs are naturally playful animals.

They were bred to work with us, hunt with us, and spend their free time with us. They are called “man’s best friend” for a reason.

But what if they have no one else to play with? What if they were left alone by their previous owners? What if they were born as strays? Who can they play with?

A viral video on TikTok showed a stray dog’s resourcefulness.

The clip was short but it was enough to show a dog’s ingenuity despite being a stray. In the video, the dog named Botella placed her red ball on the steps of an ascending escalator.

He never got on and was just excitedly satisfied with watching his toy go higher and higher until it reached the upper floor. Then the reason was revealed after.

A man who was also taking a video of the dog picked the ball up.

Then he tossed it down towards Botella. The dog happily chased after the ball. Never mind if it was a stranger. If the man wants to play then Botella will gladly and enthusiastically oblige.

He chased after the ball and caught it with his mouth. Then, the crowd could only watch in amazement when the stray placed the ball on the escalator again, like it was some kind of “automatic fetch machine”.

No one knew who owned Botella or if he was ever someone’s dog.

According to The Dodo, the stray just “simply showed up” at the Arauco Maipu Shopping Mall in Chile and stayed there ever since.

No one seemed to be bothered by his presence and with the level of familiarity he was showing to the place, he might have been there for a considerable amount of time.

It might be during his stay that he realized the “magic” of the escalator.

One can suspect that he dropped the ball by accident and watched it helplessly go up to the next floor only to be tossed down “miraculously”.

This might have given Botella the idea that he can actually convince strangers to play fetch with him even if it was the first time they’d met.

According to The Dodo, playing is Botella’s favorite hobby.

A mall-goer named Silavana Katalina shared that she first encountered the dog last year. She immediately noticed that Botella is a friendly dog and that he is “obsessed” with his toys.

His favorite, quite obviously, is the little red ball he brings along with him everywhere. Katalina also said that besides convincing people to play fetch, he also loves getting pets.

Botella may be living by himself but that doesn’t mean he’s alone.

Customers love interacting with the mall’s unofficial mascot. According to The Dodo, Botella is being cared for by the mall’s staff and security. It’s apparent in his appearance and his disposition.

There are also times when he helps himself with replacement balls which, according to some comments on the TikTok video, are paid for by mall patrons or staff.

So how can a dog play if he’s a stray? Easy. Just convince an entire mall to play with you.

Watch how this smart dog convinces strangers to play fetch with him.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

https://www.tiktok.com/@donramonzera/video/7118942038095138054?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7118942038095138054

Source: TikTok – @donramonzera, The Dodo