Anni Cummings adopted her dog, Mojo, back in 2022. While the two of them bonded instantly, she noticed Mojo was a bit fearful of strangers.
Cummings isn’t sure what made Mojo develop his social anxiety, but she thinks it was likely something that happened to him before he got to the shelter.
A few years after she adopted Mojo, Cummings and her boyfriend moved to a new house. Soon after they settled in, they started noticing that Mojo would bark at people who walked by their front yard.
They knew Mojo wasn’t barking because he was unfriendly — he was just scared. Cummings racked her brain for a way to make Mojo feel more at ease. Finally, she arrived at the perfect solution: tennis balls.
@annicummingsHe’s always so proud hahah#fyp♬ original sound – Mother Flipper 🏡🛠️
Mojo’s absolute favorite thing to do in the world is play fetch. If he’s playing fetch, all of his anxiety dissipates and he becomes a different dog.
With that in mind, Cummings decided to hang up a bucket of tennis balls on her fence and write a note to accompany it.
@annicummingsNew sign 🤝🏼 New friends#flatcoatedretriever#dogsoftiktok#followour page pretty please🥺🥺#20k♬ Why Can’t We Be Friends – War
The note read: “I promise I’m not mean. Just throw the tennis ball and we will be friends!”
Cummings hoped people would actually read the sign and take a chance on Mojo. Sure enough, within 20 minutes, someone picked up the ball — and played with Mojo for a whole hour.
These days, Mojo is a celebrity in his neighborhood. Everyone, including kids, people walking their dogs and even postal workers, can’t get enough of throwing the ball for Mojo.
@annicummingsReplying to @Lil chili the absolute sweetest🥹🥹🥹#flatcoatretriever♬ Western Music: Arizona Dreaming – Piero Piccioni
Mojo is not only beloved by the people in his neighborhood, but he’s also gained an online fan club as well. People all over the world are clamoring to get to throw a ball for Mojo.
“If I passed this on my way to work, I would 100% be late,” a commenter wrote on Cummings’ TikTok.
“Where do you live? I’m booking my flight,” another commenter wrote.
@annicummingsReplying to @Daniel Standard Mojo has his method down😅#flattie#flatcoatedretriever♬ オリジナル楽曲 – queen_greatest_pop
Perhaps parents of other anxious dogs can follow Cummings’ example. Sometimes, all it takes to turn a scared pup into a happy one is a tennis ball.
