Some dogs are born to chase. Petey, a determined and fearless Golden Retriever, took his love for fetch to the next level. In David Wilk’s Amazing Dog Stories—a finalist for the National Dog Writers Association’s Book of the Year—one of the most heart-stopping moments comes when Petey’s obsession with retrieving a ball nearly ends in disaster.
A Routine Game with an Unexpected Twist
Each day, Petey and his owner took the same walk down the long, winding driveway to the bottom and back. Petey always took his tennis ball with him. Along the way they would pass a small meadow and play a familiar game. Wilk would bounce the ball down into the meadow and Petey would chase it. Rain or shine, tall weeds or short grass, the routine was always the same.
Now this particular meadow ended at a steep cliff, but it was far off and Wilk would never throw the ball nearly that far. But one day…Wilk bounced the ball a little too hard and Petey, in his lightning quick frenzy to get it, kicked the ball even farther. Sure enough, the ball was propelled toward the cliff – with a 50 foot drop to the street below.
Wilk started running after Petey, yelling “Petey stop! No!”
But Petey didn’t stop and didn’t even slow down in his determination. The ball disappeared over the cliff—and so did he.
The Longest Few Seconds of His Owner’s Life
Wilk reached the cliff’s edge, heart pounding, bracing for the worst. Petey had survived many a crazy situation with his athleticism, but this was a terrible mistake by the big Golden Retriever. Surely Petey was injured or even dead with the fall. Indeed, Petey had been just too reckless this time.
But as Wilk got to the edge and looked down in trepidation, he saw something that left him in shock—Petey had landed on a narrow plateau, twenty feet below, half-sunken into a thick bush.
And, of course, in his mouth? The ball.
It was an impossible stroke of luck. There was no way Petey could have planned his landing. He had leapt off the cliff with only one thing in mind: retrieving that ball. And somehow, instead of a tragic fall, he had landed in the one safe spot below.
The Climb Back to Safety
As his owner stood there, relieved and stunned, Petey simply looked up, extracted himself from the bush and slowly made his way around to a side path up the hill. He was scratched up, but not seriously hurt. Petey had once again beaten the odds. He had done what he set out to do.
His owner could barely believe it.
A Dog Who Never Backed Down
Petey’s cliff jump was just one of many moments that proved his unstoppable spirit. He was reckless, yes—but also wildly determined. He defied expectations at every turn, whether chasing a ball, running at full speed toward a tree, only to veer off at the last second, dodging through cacti with impossible agility, swimming deep into the ocean to retrieve a ball or running down other steep hills to somehow find his ball every single time.
That day, however, even his owner had to admit that Petey had pushed his luck to the limit.
Why We Love Stories Like This
Dogs like Petey remind us of the unstoppable drive, loyalty, drama and sheer joy that dogs bring into our lives. Their love for the simple things—chasing a ball, running free, sharing adventures with their humans—makes them so unique.
Amazing Dog Stories—a finalist for the National Dog Writers Association’s Book of the Year—captures the courage, loyalty, and pure heart of unforgettable dogs like Petey. Order your copy today to experience more incredible true stories that will make you laugh, gasp, and fall in love with dogs all over again.