Kiara the volleyball dog is here to give us happiness on this sports-deprived Monday.
Norwegian beach volleyball player Mathias Berntsen's dog, Kiara, took social media by storm this past weekend with a couple of viral videos reminiscent of the classic movie, Air Bud.
Similar to the movie series in which a Golden Retriever becomes a sports star by hitting the ball off his head, Kiara, a mix between Flatcoat Retriever and Black Labrador, is a highly accurate setter (off her nose) in a two-on-two volleyball exhibition game.
Berntsen plays on Norway’s second-best ranked beach volleyball team with partner (and cousin) Hendrik Mol. The pair rank 45th in the world. In a video posted by the 24-year-old Saturday in Åmlihallen, Norway tabbed "pepper session," Kiara can be seen following the ball and setting up her partner to get it over the net for several sets. In a second video, Kiara is seen going back and forth for practice sets before ultimately eating the ball.
Kiara has a separate Instagram account that grew to over 18,000 followers this weekend. That's twice as many as Berntsen. According to the account, Kiara is named after a central character from The Lion King II.
Air Bud had several sequels after its first basketball-centered original, namely 2003′s Air Bud: Spikes Back, in which the lovable dog was an on-point setter and spiker. Unlike those movies, however, Kiara was in no need of special effects.
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