Many pet parents of Golden Retrievers are well aware of their penchant for carrying objects in their mouths. These canine cuties were born to retrieve — it’s literally in the name — and never met a stick, ball, or plushie they didn’t like. Goldens will often try to “adopt” these potential playthings whenever they find them.

Zebby the Golden Retriever is a huge fan of tennis balls. The precious pooch loves playing with them so much he assumes anything yellow is his favorite toy.

In the TikTok from @zebbythegolden, the curious canine was on his walk, but stood frozen like a statue as he stared at something yellow in the street.

“POV My Golden Retriever thinks every yellow object is a tennis ball,” the onscreen text read.

Apparently, some lemons from a nearby tree had fallen and rolled onto the street, setting off Zebby’s ‘tennis ball radar’. His mom wanted to continue their walk but the gorgeous Golden refused to pass up the chance to add another tennis ball to his collection.

“Come on buddy, it’s a lemon,” Zebby’s mom explained. “Go see it. It’s a lemon.”

Zebby went closer to the object for further inspection. He gave it a few good sniffs and came to the conclusion that his mom was right. The hopeful dog hid his disappointment well but you could tell it put a damper on the day.

“See, I told you,” she said gently. “Let’s go buddy.”

Zebby Didn’t Give Up

Never one to quit, Zebby’s quest for tennis balls continued. As he turned around, he spotted the lemon tree from which the lemons fell and thought, “could those be tennis balls?” The fur baby focused on the tree, holding out hope until his mom broke the news that it was just more fruit.

Related: Golden Retriever’s Concerned Search for Mom Turns to Joy the Instant He Sees Her

Zebby’s social media account shows that he’s clearly a tennis ball aficionado. He’s always gravitated toward the yellow fuzzy balls and collects as many as he can. He even dressed up like a tennis ball for Halloween in tribute to his favorite toy.

Maybe his mom should take a route with no lemon trees next time to avoid any confusion.

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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Dec 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.