‘This would have gotten you on Ellen’: Pro-level puppy puts every human cheerleader on the planet to shame

The internet used to be a rather mysterious place.

YouTube, Vine, Facebook, and even Myspace gave the world the first look at the serotonin release, which comes with a like or comment. Virality was just a whisper in the wind at social media’s humble beginnings.

In the late 2000s and early 2010’s more and more people hopped online. In turn, more and more people began to make content. The more people made, the more people watched and from that came out very first viral videos.

At the time 100,000 views or likes made you a viral sensation. And where did viral sensations go? On Ellen, of course. We all hoped and prayed to be the next Alex from Target, or Sophia Grace. But those opportunities were few and far between.

Now, people get millions of views on everything from lip synch videos to OOTDs without seeing even a dime or a like from Ellen and the content just isn’t the same anymore.

But occasionally, your TikTok will bless you with a viral moment that takes you back to the simple days of the early internet.

That’s what happened when people saw Trestyn Peck’s viral video in which he lifted, shifted, twirled, and tossed his dog like she was a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader.

The 30 second performance left people in awe, sure that 10 years ago Trestyn and his pup would have been performing for Ellen DeGeneres in no time.

The nearly 13 million viewers of Trestyn’s videos had nothing but complimentary things to say about his performance. They commended his dog for knowing her routine, keeping it tight, and being surprisingly chill about being thrown in the air that way. People told Trestyn that it looks like his pup was definitely a cheerleader in her past life.

Toes pointed, legs tucked, she and Trestyn accomplished every trick flawlessly.

Viewers were cracking up at every toss, spin, and turn, unable to fathom such a hilariously perfect video gracing thing For You Page. It’s just the kind of video that 2014 Ellen would go bananas for.

According to DataDab, seemingly silly and simplistic videos like this caught our attention for a few reasons. The first is an emotional response. A video with a cat or dog can make animal lovers feel strong positive feelings, which catches their attention. An emotional response makes viewers more likely to share, like, and comment on a post. High arousal emotions, like joy, anger, or surprise, lead to increased sharing frequency.

People often like to share videos that make them feel seen or represented. Like how dancers and cheerleaders alike flocked to the comment section to type out “She’s so me” on Trestyn’s video.

Those elements are probably exactly what Ellen was looking for back in the day and their attraction rings true for us now.

When we see something that makes us laugh, feel seen, or feel nostalgic for old internet days, we can’t help but talk about it. Effectively making it go mega-viral.