‘Thieving’ Rescue Golden Retriever Likes to Steal Scissors and Screwdrivers

A social media video that captures a golden retriever dog’s love of, well, retrieving has delighted online viewers.

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 1 million times since it was shared to TikTok on October 28, features a complication of clips of the 3-year-old retriever “stealing” any household object that she can get her paws on.

The dog, whose name is Tilly, lives with her dog sibling, Ruby, and owner Annie Cordo in the U.S. She was adopted at an early age, and Cordo had decided to film the video to mark her third “gotcha day,” which is the affectionate social media term that many dog owners use to refer to the anniversary date for when they re-homed their pets.

Tilly is a retriever by name as well as nature, according to Cordo. “Tilly likes to steal really random household items, and over the last three years I have taken a lot of video of her doing it,” she told Newsweek.

She went on: “I made the video on the anniversary of us bringing her home from the breeder. We also have a 5-year-old golden retriever named Ruby who is actually Tilly’s first cousin. She does not steal but takes advantage of all of the treats we have at home that Tilly gets when we trade her items.”

The dog mom said the only way to persuade Tilly to give up any “stolen” items is by dangling a tasty treat in front of her so she’s persuaded to let go of her prize in a trade-off for a snack.

“When Tilly started stealing items we would put stuff away so she grabs what she can off tables—usually phones, remotes and other pieces of technology,” Cordo said.

Cordo titled the video “Tilly: Three Years of Thieving.” The post is captioned: “In honor of Tilly’s gotcha day, I present a highlight reel of three years of her stealing things.”

Golden retrievers are known for their skill at collecting and retrieving items, usually sticks or objects from outdoors, according to the American Kennel Club. This fetching is a “natural pastime for the breed.

Since it was shared on the social media platform by @annieohs, the TikTok post has been liked by over 195,000 users and commented on over 2,000 times. Plenty of TikTokers have left their funny takes on the clip.

“She’s trying to be helpful by bringing you your work,” one user wrote.

Another added: “Thieving and retrieving are often mistaken for each other.”

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