Dogs are such active animals, and are always looking for a playmate — especially for a good game of fetch.

But sometimes dogs end up disappointed when their fetch partner turns out to be a real stiff, as seen in one viral video 🤣

PJ is a 9-year-old dog who lives with his owner Ellie Byrne in County Clare, Ireland. Like many dogs, PJ is always eager for a nice game of fetch, and is always looking for a new playmate.

“He’s absolutely obsessed with playing fetch. Anyone who stops to talk to him instantly gets something dropped at their feet to throw,” Ellie told Newsweek.

During one recent walk, PJ approached someone new, dropping a stick at his feet and eagerly waiting for him to pick it up and throw it. However, the man did not budge, much to the little dog’s frustration.

The reason? The man was actually a statue!
It’s a life-sized statue of the acclaimed Irish actor Richard Harris, known for his roles in Unforgiven, Gladiator and as the original Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films.

The statue, unveiled in 2006 four years after the actor’s passing, depicts him playing racquetball, a game he often played against the sea wall in West Clare.

Given his sporty posture, it makes sense that PJ might think he would be ready to chuck a stick for him, but alas the poor dog ended up disappointed.

“Just can’t understand why Richard Harris won’t play fetch,” the owner wrote in the caption on TikTok.

The video went viral, with over 1.7 million views, and people thought it was adorable.

“This is quite possibly the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen,” one comment reads. The owner said PJ tried to get the statue to play with him for “five or six minutes” until she distracted him with a ball.

It’s not the only time PJ mistook the Richard Harris statue for a real person. In another video posted by Storyful, the dog puts a little stone at the statue’s base, and keeps tapping Richard’s foot as if to say “come on, throw it!”

Ellie Byrne told Newsweek that PJ has always mistaken statues for playmates, but she thought he would grow out of it and be “old enough to have more sense.”

She also told the outlet that PJ has become a local celebrity, and that his viral fame has been a “lovely distraction” after the death of PJ’s doggie sister Flossie.