x
Breaking News
More () »

River the dog's incredible skill is blowing the internet's mind

It's common to see a dog hanging out at your local brewery. What's not common is for the dog to show everyone up with some mad skills.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's not often one individual can bring a group of strangers together.

But it's all in a day's work for River, who after an hour at Legion Brewery has created a connection between each of the outdoor patrons.

"He always has to go say hey to everyone around," Kristen Sillay says.

And as he makes his way from a man sitting alone to a group of twenty-some things, he is greeted with open arms. Perhaps this is due to his sweet demeanor, or maybe it's his handsome appearance. Either way, there's one thing that's apparent at River's initial introduction: He is a good boy.

River is a 5-year-old golden retriever with a very special talent.

"He was the last in his litter," River's mother/owner says. "I think just his calm demeanor pushed people away compared to the other puppies that give people attention, but I saw something special."

River's calm and steady personality is due credit to launching him into the internet's spotlight. With some impressive skills of being able to balance nearly anything on his nose or head, River's videos have been shared across social media.

"I can't even remember going through any type of big training phase with him," Sillay says. "He has always been really calm and still though, so once I realized that we started having fun balancing little things like a treat and seeing if he could hop it up and catch it."

When River proved to be great at a trick that would take most dogs months to master, Sillay attempted another balancing act.

"He has just kept balancing whatever we ask him to!"

You jealous, cuz? 🌪

A post shared by River Sillay (@riverrunsgolden) on

Items River has balanced range across the board. They include a fidget spinner, an entire plate of food, logs, leaves, toys, jenga puzzles, pizza, treats and more.

However, the balancing trick that garnered the world's attention is River's ability to balance a cup on his nose while Sillay poured beer into it from a pitcher. After posting the video on River's Instagram, he was on The Chive, Daily News, Barstool Sports and more.

As for River's sudden fame, Sillay says she doesn't mind it at all.

"I could live my happy life with him with (the internet attention) or without it," Sillay says. "I'd prefer it to be my dog's 15 minutes of fame than mine."

Before You Leave, Check This Out