Finley the Golden Retriever holds six tennis balls in his mouth to snag Guinness World Record

Finley the Golden Retriever with six tennis balls in his mouth
(Image credit: @finnyboymolloy/Instagram)

Finley the Golden Retriever may look like your average dog, but throw him a ball or six and you’ll soon notice that there’s something extraordinary about this playful pooch.

It was back in 2017 that Finley's owner, Erin Molloy, first noticed that her canine companion had a rather unique talent for toting tennis balls in his mouth and not just one like most dogs but an impressive six.

"My dad would throw him a tennis ball, he'd catch it, drop it, then wait for my dad to throw another. Rather than bringing just one ball back to my dad, he brought back all six! He's been a ball hoarder for quite some time now!" Molloy explains.

And now Finley's talent has gone global after the big-mouthed mutt earned himself the Guinness World Record for “most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog.”

It’s been a long wait for this New York native though who became the official record holder on February 23, 2020, but has had to wait for the release of the 2022 Guinness World Records book to finally see his name in print. And he’s making sure the world knows about his success.

"BIG NEWS! I can officially say that I am in the @guinnessworldrecords book for 2022! This of course wasn't easy, and certainly felt like forever and a day to accomplish! Thank you to all my friends and fans who have been following my tennis ball journey since the beginning," Finley and his owner, Erin Molloy, shared on his Instagram page @finnyboymolloy.

Up until Finley took out the title, the previous record was held by a Golden Retriever named Augie who managed to hold an impressive five balls back in 2003.

As for the current record holder, Finley is enjoying a well-deserved break from all the attention that has accompanied his recent feat. "Enjoying retired life now that I have the @guinnessworldrecords," Finley stated in a recent Instagram post.

Kathryn Williams
Freelance writer

Kathryn is a freelance writer who has been a member of the PetsRadar family since it launched in 2020. Highly experienced in her field, she's driven by a desire to provide pet parents with accurate, timely, and informative content that enables them to provide their fur friends with everything they need to thrive. Kathryn works closely with vets and trainers to ensure all articles offer the most up-to-date information across a range of pet-related fields, from insights into health and behavior issues to tips on products and training. When she’s not busy crafting the perfect sentence for her features, buying guides and news pieces, she can be found hanging out with her family (which includes one super sassy cat), drinking copious amounts of Jasmine tea and reading all the books.