A Borg Bjorn Borg

by Meg on November 16, 2008

No, I"m not speaking in the Swedish Chef voice again. I’m simply reporting on this ingenious robot tennis ball-hurling contraption. This Dachshund’s Saturday night is aaaaaall set.

Elizabeth G., save your arm-thowing muscles for other things. Like commenting.

PS – encore presentayshe

{ 73 comments }

1 loosgroov 11.16.08 at 12:31 am

who the heck was that other little guy at the end? his tiny mowf must be too little for the tennis balls.

2 Julia 11.16.08 at 12:34 am

Didn’t we see this one already?

3 Alana D. 11.16.08 at 12:34 am

Hate to say it, but I think you posted this already

4 Em 11.16.08 at 12:37 am

dude dont be haters. this is Awesome!! :)

5 serfer0 11.16.08 at 12:39 am

It’s new to me!
The perfect fusion of American ingenuity and American laziness.

6 David 11.16.08 at 12:42 am

Resistance is definitely futile on this contraption. Little wienie dog will be occupied for days.

7 Bobel 11.16.08 at 12:44 am

Not only is that a great contraption, but that is also one smart dog. My dumb-dumb beagle couldn’t figure something out like that.

8 CoffeeCup 11.16.08 at 12:57 am

First, never underestimate an animal’s ability to stretch its mouth around something it desperately wants to slobber on.

Second, yes this is a repost. Doesn’t make it any less awesome though.

Third, this dog is indeed very, very smart…but think of the human who designed and built it!

Fourth, no nuffers allowed.

‘ll just say right now that the dog is not being abused by flying fuzzy objects.

The owner is not neglecting the dog by using the machine to amuse him instead of the following:

- taking him out on walks
- playing fetch in the backyard
- quitting his job to spend all his waking hours with a dog

That’s all.

9 CoffeeCup 11.16.08 at 12:58 am

Oh, I wanted to also mention that my fourth point was only brought up because I remember the last time this was posted, there were quite a few nuffers who got up in arms, making assumptions about this dog’s owner.

10 fae 11.16.08 at 1:06 am

That is just incredi-awesome! What a clever doggie…and a clever owner!

11 Von Zeppelin 11.16.08 at 1:06 am

Rocket Scientist Dachshund! Or, at least, Newtonian Physicist Dachs.

12 Kiki 11.16.08 at 1:17 am

The tailio wagging should be a new power source. It just doesn’t stop!

13 Kar 11.16.08 at 1:21 am

Playing ball is always more fun when you do it with a friend.

14 Apriltini 11.16.08 at 1:24 am

The dog thinks the machine is awesome. Who are we to argue with the dog? :D

15 gryt 11.16.08 at 1:27 am

This is just beyond awesome…

16 Miss Helen 11.16.08 at 1:31 am

Does anyone else get cranky when dogs start running for the ball before it is even thrown? It’s like canine cheating, and I think there should be a law against it.
Especially because itmakes humans(and soon robots, when they advance enough, never forget the lessons we learnt in terminator) so mean things like pretend to throw the ball. Oh, the shame.

17 thelibrarianne 11.16.08 at 1:35 am

This should probably be boingboing’d. Adorable.

18 Renee 11.16.08 at 1:36 am

Genius!!

19 berthaservant 11.16.08 at 2:17 am

Awesome Encore!

20 kaydee 11.16.08 at 2:44 am

yep, been posted before.

21 Dave T 11.16.08 at 2:44 am

This device is awesome. But I’m even more impressed by this dog that has learned to use the machine. When the machine won’t pick up the ball off the floor, the dog drops the ball in the “hand”.

22 sc 11.16.08 at 3:19 am

now imagine if the 6 shiba inu puppies had a machine like this :) the internet would definitely explode from cuteness!

23 Dani 11.16.08 at 3:19 am

COOL!
this would provide HOURS to DAYS to WEEKS of entertainment for dogs!
All they have to do is learn to fetch the ball and put it in the little shoot thing and VOILA!!
INSTANT ENTERTAINMENT!

24 nismo 11.16.08 at 3:24 am

look how excited the dog gets when the contraption pulls back.

25 Kimski 11.16.08 at 3:31 am

I like the bit where the dog plays with the ball a while before putting it back in the machine.

He loves that ball.

26 Jamie 11.16.08 at 3:40 am

The complete joy of this puppeh is what makes it so cute.

27 Redbone 11.16.08 at 3:42 am

THAT is awesome.

28 hamster-on-rye 11.16.08 at 3:51 am

I’m thinking this would help me lose weight…

29 Des 11.16.08 at 3:58 am

Where the heck do I get one of these??? My Snickers could really use one, and so could my arm!

30 iwill 11.16.08 at 4:46 am

I love how sometimes Jerry almost can’t resist the allure of the tennis ball and tries to snatch it back at the last second.

“Must have eet! No! Wait for it…wait for it… (ball launches) NOW!”

31 Anne 11.16.08 at 4:49 am

I must have one! This would free up so much of my day!

32 Miss Helen 11.16.08 at 5:24 am

I also love it how his little ear flappers sometimes get flapped by the contrap when it goes up!!!

33 Erebella 11.16.08 at 5:35 am

That’s awesome. That someone would take the time to build something like to keep his dog so happy is so cool. I just saw another Wall-E commercial as I typed this. I LOVE hearing him say his name, it’s so cute!

34 Jewelz_4_U 11.16.08 at 6:05 am

What’s with the Yorkie thinger at the end??? RANDOM!

35 Samantha 11.16.08 at 6:33 am

I can smell the dog breath from here. xP

36 Michael 11.16.08 at 6:40 am

This isn’t tagged “cute or sad,” but it should be. Yes, it’s amazingly ingenious (even if, as I suspect, it’s adapted from a tennis practice machine), and the dog is smart to learn to use it — and the dog seems overjoyed to HAVE it to use. But gee, guys, isn’t it a LITTLE bit sad when you’re so busy you have to build a machine to play with your dog?

Also, if the dog is left without human supervision, with the machine on, can it possibly be foolproof? Or eventually is he going to get his nose caught under the ramp when it comes down, or take a slingshot in the eye, or something, and have no one there to help him? I hate to be a downer about anything that makes the lonely dog so HAPPY, but driving the family car might make a 2 year old person happy, too. Doesn’t make it safe.

Now, if the machine is “just another toy” (not a mechanical pacifier) and the owner always supervises its use, then I take the “sad” part back. The cute part is undeniable!

37 Junior 11.16.08 at 6:57 am

The nuffs come out at night…

“But gee, guys, isn’t it a LITTLE bit sad when you’re so busy you have to build a machine to play with your dog?”

Do you go to work? You can’t play with your dog while you’re at work, wouldn’t it be nice for your dog to be able to run around and chase a ball while you’re gone for 8 hours?

38 Quizkid 11.16.08 at 7:16 am

There was an article about this when it was posted before. It explained that the dog NEVER used the machine unsupervised by an adult.

39 warrior rabbit 11.16.08 at 7:22 am

Michael, if you sift through the comments on the original YouTube vid, as I did when Meg first posted this way back when, you would read that the dog’s owner always supervises, infrared sensor prevent inadvertent dog-in-the-parts-catching, and that the machine complements other activities, including manual throwing. The owner is an engineer and what started as a simple project became a 3-year labor of love and nerdity, built almost more for him than Jerry.

It is definitely all cute, no sad. Please, just enjoy it as Jerry so clearly does.

40 Mary S. 11.16.08 at 7:26 am

This is een-GEEN-yus. =D

I think all nuffer comments should be deleted tbh. Admins, be swift like ninja! Or smart puppeh who wants the tennis ball =]

41 Zoe Doom 11.16.08 at 7:41 am

Yes, there is no sadness here. Aside from being totally cool already, this would also be a good thing for a disabled person who had a canine companion. Hours of fun for doggie and human!

42 Monique 11.16.08 at 8:08 am

This is SO ADORABLE!!! When he played with the ball a little reminded me of my dog being coy about returning the ball because, he wants a rest between chases. I missed the previous posting so this was actually the FIRST TIME I can ever remember my husband willingly watching an entire CO video. He even said “awesome!”

43 Jenny Islander 11.16.08 at 9:04 am

Luckiest.dog.EVER.

It never gets tired! It never complains about slobbery tennis balls! It never pulls that maddening “fake throw” thing that humans find so amusing!

Imagine this thing in the paws of a truly obsessive breed, such as a Border collie. The mind boggles.

44 Barbarella von Fluffenstein! 11.16.08 at 10:00 am

I don´t care if it was posted before, and I think it was, but some things are just SO GOOD, they need to be shared more than once! :D

45 Barbarella von Fluffenstein! 11.16.08 at 10:03 am

Michael said above “Also, if the dog is left without human supervision” – WTF?

Who is holding the camera then?

I know when I am filming my cats that *I* am not just filming but at the same time supervising them and if anything goes wrong I´ll drop the camera in a heartbeat! I´m sure the owner of this dog (or any responsible pet owner) would do the same!

46 ratchic 11.16.08 at 10:40 am

This is really cool. I love that the dog totally gets it, and makes it work! Now there needs to be one for multiple dog households that shoot like the ones in a batting cage!!!

47 KC 11.16.08 at 11:18 am

I absolutely love this, and the roly-poly, purring and squeaking Scottish Fold baby, and of course the pygmy hippo but I have to say I can’t understand why you repeat postingks (which indirectly states that the other excruciatingly cute ones that are not encore’d are less cute) and ignore perfectly good new ones like the one of the baby hippo born at a Swiss zoo (not pygmy) which I forwarded last week. No harsh feelings, though I’m definitely giving up trying to send submishes.

48 katiedid 11.16.08 at 1:53 pm

That is tooo great!!! I wonder if that guy could build one for cat toys.. hummm…

Oh and Michael I think this is mainly for when the humans aren’t home so the dog doesnt go stir crazy… but I have also know dogs *cough*my moms dog*cough* that are relentless when it comes to wanting you to throw tennis balls..

49 Jezebel 11.16.08 at 4:17 pm

Has anyone contacted Mensa? Clearly this pup is a genius.

[Oh c'mon, it's not like the DOG built the fetch machine... I mean, I don't *think* he... it's not... um, there's no... hrmm. - Ed?]

50 Hannah 11.16.08 at 4:56 pm

I love the juxtaposition of the classical music against the raw sound of the mahcine! But the puppheh’s joy of having the ball to play with (and really being able to CONTROL) when the machine works is great!

51 C. 11.16.08 at 5:07 pm

“But gee, guys, isn’t it a LITTLE bit sad when you’re so busy you have to build a machine to play with your dog?”

Right… He’s way too busy to play a simple game of catch with his dog, so instead he’s going to meticulously design and construct a sophisticated robotic ball-throwing device to do it for him. ‘Cause clearly, that would take a lot less time out of his busy day.

52 MelissaF 11.16.08 at 5:09 pm

Some people have WAY too much time on their hands.

53 Mel2 11.16.08 at 5:25 pm

Cute (and smart) dog chasing ball thrown by robot + Little kid laughter = Wonderful!!

54 cc 11.16.08 at 5:30 pm

Read the owner’s Youtube page. Jerry was a sick dog, and he has passed on. The video was put on YouTube memorialize him and to make people smile. You can see in his statement that he supervised Jerry all but 3 times that Jerry used the machine and still ended up throwing the ball himself as well.

Such a cute story.

55 becx 11.16.08 at 5:58 pm

I loved watching the little kid help the dog out!! and who was that mystery pup in the end?

56 Theo 11.16.08 at 6:04 pm

BecX — that was Monsieur Non Sequiterrier himself.

;)

57 M. V. 11.16.08 at 8:03 pm

Theo…you win. lololololol

58 Theo 11.16.08 at 8:05 pm

athankyou, athankyouverymuch

59 Paunchie 11.16.08 at 8:16 pm

bork bork bork! Happy doggy with tail wagging

60 rosieLB 11.16.08 at 8:52 pm

I know that Jerry was supervised while the machine was in use, but one thought that made me giggle was:

Can you imagine being woken in the middle of the night by the sound of this contraption, the sound of little running puppy paws, the ball hitting the wall…and repeat?

61 Fegli 11.16.08 at 9:17 pm

There should be a much larger version made for German shepherds and such on farms. Can you imagine walking up the road and seeing the calamitous puppy JOY?

62 Theo 11.16.08 at 9:20 pm

Rosie — heh. The guy was clever enough to include IR proximity sensors in the build, for safety, so I’m pretty sure it’s also got some kind of puppy-proof “Off” switch.

;)

63 tmg 11.16.08 at 9:49 pm

That sweet little pup died? How absolutely saddening. :(

This is one of my favorite videos ever. The little wagging tail of anticipation is so adorable!

64 Carey 11.16.08 at 10:17 pm

Think how great this would be for senior citizens or other people how might have problems repetitively throwing a ball.

65 Wendy 11.17.08 at 1:23 am

You should market this.

66 gravyboat 11.17.08 at 3:22 am

Clever pooch!

67 Katrina 11.17.08 at 4:46 pm

A little Mozart with your fetch, Jerry? People, the dog is playing while some (I guess) human is playing the piano. Oh, dog, you don’t think it is, like, a husky or something playing the piano, do you?
The interaction with the child is just so dear..Jerry knows what baby person is saying and they are having a wonderful conversation! That is my ideal doggie for sure! I used the same wallpaper in my sons’ room!

68 plaid-shirt pyrate 11.17.08 at 5:57 pm

I really need an equivalent device for one of my kitties. *She* needs stringie-hab.

If we’re in the living room, she demands demands DEMANDS (her volume knob goes to 11, seriously!) that you get the stringie out and drag it around for her.

69 Michelle 11.17.08 at 8:10 pm

Where do I get one that will throw a Frisbee? …We wants it…

70 Theresa 11.18.08 at 5:26 am

Oh the chipper pup is back! I’m so glad this was posted again! It’s intentional of course–in the postscript “An Encore Presentayshe” is mentioned.

71 Annie 11.18.08 at 7:55 am

I never get tired of this one I think I watched it like 30 times last time it was posted.

72 Tash 11.19.08 at 4:13 am

I saw a clip of this in a Honda commercial just the other day, and was surprised it was getting such publicity!

http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/videos.aspx

73 jen 11.21.08 at 6:48 pm

I SOOOO want one for the corgi!

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