Dog freaks when Petaluma man dresses up as her favorite toy Gumby

Emily Crisp and her boyfriend Ben Mesches were hanging out on the couch in their Petaluma home Thursday, watching TV, when Mesches thought it would be funny to put on the old Gumby costume he had in his closet, and see how their golden retriever Jolene would react.

Jolene turned 2 on Oct. 13, and as a present, her owners gave her a Gumby chew toy, that she now takes with her everywhere.

“Ben decided to make her dreams come true,” Crisp said, laughing.

As Mesches got dressed, Crisp pulled out her smartphone to film Jolene's reaction, just in case.

Well, it turns out Jolene's reaction was awesome, and the video now has more than 5 million views on YouTube.

“We both thought the video was hilarious so we decided to share it with our friends,” Crisp said.

After Jolene met her hero, the two went out together in Petaluma, with Crisp documenting their evening along the way.

“We didn't think anything of it when we posted it, and then when we woke up the next morning it had over 2 million views,” Crisp said.

The two 24-year-olds were soon contacted by people all over the world who had seen the video, and wanted to reach out.

“They're just saying how much Jolene made their day, and how happy it made them,” Crisp said.

The footage starts with Jolene playing with her toy Gumby, then cuts to Mesches as he emerges from around a corner. When the video focuses back on Jolene, she drops the Gumby toy she was chewing on and slowly stands up, her eyes on Gumby Mesches.

Jolene approaches slowly, almost cautiously, as the flexible green hero she once knew only as a tiny toy came to life before her very eyes.

Quickly, though, she seems to overcome her shock, embracing Gumby Mesches as the two tumble to the ground.

The couple has two other dogs: Molly, 11, a miniature Australian shepherd, and a 6-year-old black Lab named Newport. While Newport features in Crisp's video of Jolene meeting Gumby Mesches, the golden retriever is definitely the star of the show.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.