Dog’s pure joy in a pile of autumn leaves is exactly the pick-me-up everybody needs

No matter how old dogs grow, some things about them never change, including their playful and quirky behavior. With time, their activeness and enthusiasm may reduce, but their basic nature remains the same. And who knows this better than the pet parents who watch their fur babies grow in front of them? Right? On that note, meet Stella (@dognamedstella on Instagram), an adorable labrador whose obsession with a large pile of autumn leaves has left the viewers in splits.

This incredibly funny video captured over-enthusiastic Stella jumping over the autumn leaves as if her life depended on it. Her excitement remained the same throughout the years, whether Stella was 5 or 11. Every time she saw the pile, she would leap over it without any hesitation. With her tail continuously wagging with uncontrollable joy and twinkling eyes, Stella loved the thrill of getting lost in the maze. "Had to put these all in one place," Stella's owner shared in the caption. The Instagram reel received an overwhelming response on social media. While several netizens appreciated Stella for her activeness, considering her age, a few even appreciated her owner for taking good care of the dog. 

For instance, reacting to the video, @theshapeofkate commented, "I love your videos of Stella! I am always so happy when they pop up in my feed. Thank you for sharing the joy of her playfulness." @babsrnbsn commented, "Stella has such a zest to run right into that pile of leaves. She found her forever passion. I could watch the joy all day." @heckincuddlies commented, "I hope we get videos of 15-year-old Stella bouncing into leaves with the same enthusiasm." @nealmjr55 commented, "A little slower, doesn’t leap as high anymore, but still 100% joy in that dog." @laceysunderland_ commented, "My dog passed at 14 and half years old in September and this makes me so happy. Not to be a Debby Downer but like, enjoy the time that you have. Especially the fact that she’s 11 years old and is still running into the pile of leaves like she’s 2."

@debbiescott0000 commented, "You have clearly taken wonderful care of her all these years! She’s in great shape at 11 years old. How wonderful that she can still enjoy her favorite thing!" @maggietiliacos commented, "Stella, you are so funny, cute and like a little flash of lightning you disappear in a second in that pile of leaves. Run for fun cutie!" On the other hand, @rclarisestarling wrote, "Priceless! Definitely an Olympian Leaf Pile Jumper! Artistic quality 10, Technical Merits 10, pure Gold!" @l_sturgill commented, "The youth she still has! Our 11-year-old lab still has so much energy but doesn’t run that fast!" @lindaknelsen wrote, "That's so great to see. It's pretty awesome that you give Stella the pile to explore each year! Her wagging tail & thumping feet say it all!" @mr_alflutist wrote, "It's the happy tale still wagging in the leaves for me. The only visible part after she dives in the pile."

You can follow Stella(@dognamedstella) on Instagram for more updates related to the labrador retriever.