Sweet Senior Labrador Retriever Loves His 'Emotional Support Pumpkin'
It's barely September, and already a chill is in the morning air, along with the unmistakable aroma of pumpkin spice. One creature who couldn't be more excited for pumpkin season to arrive is Ollie, a Labrador retriever in England. (If he looks familiar, it may be because a video of this sweet Lab's Build-A-Bear birthday experience went viral on social media in November 2025.) A new video, shared on Instagram in August 2026, recapped the darling doggo's history with pumpkins.
"This is my dog Ollie," the video began. "You might know him for having an emotional support pumpkin 🎃." Five years ago, Ollie found his beloved orange gourd at a pumpkin patch. He carried it with him constantly until its stem fell off, then his owner gave him a little wicker basket to tote it around in. Eventually, the pumpkin turned soft and had to be thrown away. The following year, his owners planted a pumpkin patch specifically for him, using seeds from the dog's precious pumpkin, and the video showed Ollie happily digging in the garden dirt. In 2025, his owners entered Ollie's pumpkins into a village competition. "Ollie actually won the dog show...but his pumpkins lost to a pair of cabbages 😤."
Netizens were outraged on behalf of Ollie and his pumpkins. "To a pair of cabbages?! Never in my wildest dreams!" one exclaimed, while another wrote, "Well, now we all got beef with cabbage 🎃🧡🐾🤎😍🥰." One person joked, "Stupid trash vegetable. Justice for Ollie's pumpkin! ✊️"
Five years of Ollie and his prized pumpkins
The video ended with one of Ollie's owners noting that 2026 "has been the hottest summer England has ever seen," so the pumpkin patch has been extremely dry. Several viewers suggested ways to improve the garden's irrigation (such as using ollas, shade cloths, or sun umbrellas), but far more people expressed incredulity at how long the chocolate Lab's antics have been documented on social media.
"I need an emotional support pumpkin watching this! I have been along for the 5 years but it still tears me up with his epic sweet heart ❤️❤️," one person commented. Another wrote, "I remember watching at the very beginning when he had the emotional support pumpkin. Long before there was an idea of having a garden. So just now [to] be told I've been watching this dog for five years was a little mind blowing." As one netizen observed, "You know it's Fall/Autumn when Ollie is on pumpkin duty 🥹😍🥰." Let's just hope Ollie's adventures this autumn include a new prize-winning pumpkin for him to cuddle with and proudly show off.
Want to see more cute animals having a ball with pumpkins? Check out these precious pets posing at pumpkin patches, and this long-haired dachshund running freely through a pumpkin patch (it's giving peak fall vibes).