Rescue Dog Sleeping With Toys in His Mouth Melts Hearts: 'Comfort'

A dog who always sleeps with balls in his mouth has left the internet in stitches this week.

In a post on Reddit's popular r/WhatsWrongWithYourDog forum, Daniel De Jager from Washington state shared a picture of his mom's dog Gizmo taking a nap with two balls in his mouth.

The hilarious picture proved just how much Gizmo loves his toys, and delighted people on Reddit who upvoted the picture 13,000 times and left over 140 comments.

"Mom adopted him last year," De Jager told Newsweek. "He appears to be predominately black lab, but we didn't get papers, nor have we tested him, so he could be a mix. He's young, maybe 2 years old."

The young dog has always had a love for toys, De Jager explained: "He's always loved balls. Sometimes he even prefers balls over snacks."

While he doesn't always sleep with the balls closely guarded, he does if he's been playing with them.

"He will just randomly take little naps in the middle of playing," laughed De Jager.

When he saw Gizmo fast asleep with not one but two blue balls safely stored in his mouth, De Jager couldn't resist a photo and was quick to share it on Reddit.

In over 140 replies, users shared their delight at the unusual picture, and stories of their own pet's strange habits.

"My stupid golden retriever does this with socks," said one reply. "He's ridiculous."

Another said: "He's just trying to make sure nobody steals his stuff," while another Redditor wrote: "Ball is life."

According to pet care service WagWalking.com, dogs will often head to bed with a toy close-by. Dogs like to sleep with their toys for a few reasons, firstly because they don't know if their toys will still be there when they wake up so they want to keep them close-by.

Dogs are also attached to their toys in an almost sentimental way—they love their toys, whether playing with them or chewing them, they will often keep them in their safe spaces because of their affection toward them.

"I think it's a comfort/scent thing," suggested another commenter. "Our dog puts his snout in our slippers to sleep like it's a platypus bill lol."

Meanwhile, some replies on the viral post cautioned the dog owner on allowing the pup to lay down with the balls in his mouth, worried that he might choke.

"These smooth rubber balls are very easy for dogs to swallow which could easily be done in his sleep. They get lodged in the windpipe and the dog suffocates," warned one Redditor.

Dr. Lauren Witter, of Small Door Veterinary, headquartered in New York City, previously told Newsweek that while it is not common for dogs to choke on balls, it can happen: "Tennis balls, chuck-it balls, and anything of that nature can get stuck in larger-breed dogs. These dogs have larger mouths and throats and can get overly excited when playing fetch."

"If a ball is small enough that it doesn't get stuck in the throat but rather gets swallowed into the dog's stomach, this can also cause an emergency situation like an obstruction or blockage that may require emergency surgery or endoscopy," Witter said.

But putting minds at ease, De Jager assured other internet users that the balls in the picture are "larger than tennis balls."

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