One sunny Tuesday in November, a Labrador named Fenton (originally thought to be Benton) threw caution to the wind, unleashed the courage of a lion and stampeded a herd of wild deer across Richmond Park in London. Filmed on a mobile phone by a 13-year old boy, the 47-second video clip has since become an instant global hit.

You can’t help but chuckle at Fenton’s behaviour and his master’s frustration as he chases his dog across the parkland shouting; “Fenton…Fenton……oh Jesus Christ Fenton!”

With over 600,000 hits on YouTube to date the story of this lovable Labrador also became the highest British trending topic on Twitter, even leading to its own dedicated fan page.

Obviously, the trend of sharing experiences of comical or unusual animal antics is well established. And our social networks are awash with virals and blogs showing off our cute and entertaining cats, dogs, hamsters, ferrets… What’s fascinating, however, is that as well as providing a platform to share thoughts and experiences, social media has heightened our desire to express and develop our own creativity too. For example, a whole series of Fenton spoofs quickly hit the airwaves, including the infamous ‘Jesus Christ in Jurassic Park’ video.

This spoof has already gained as many viewings on You Tube as the original Fenton clip, demonstrating the equilibrium between interactivity and creativity in the world of social media.

The Fenton saga clearly highlights how everyday circumstances, the comic misfortunes of other people, and simply being in the right place at the right time, can bring almost immediate free entertainment to the masses via a mobile phone and modern technology. Whether you love the clip or hate it, you cannot deny its world-wide impact. Let’s just hope Fenton’s unfortunate owner has a change of luck and doesn’t have to pay a fine for ‘failing to control’ the unruly pup!

(Source: youtube.com)