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Sports

Wonderpup Invades Pitch During Copa Libertadores, Receives Good Pats

Take note, BBC commentator father: this is how you pay respect to the noble pitch invader.

¡UN INTRUSO EN LA CANCHA#LibertadoresxFOX | Un perrito se metió y quiso ayudar a Zamora a revertir el resultado ante Gremio. pic.twitter.com/ZP4qiMasqc
— FOX Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) March 10, 2017

These past 24 hours have made for a solid day of pitch invasions. Most notably, on Friday morning, a BBC commentator's children burst into his office like gangbusters mid-segment; the video understandably made its rounds on the internet. That particular masterpiece of gatecrashing may not be sports, but it certainly was a pitch invasion. In that way, and because it is extremely good, it is a spiritual cousin of the very good dog that triumphantly found its way onto the pitch during Thursday night's Copa Libertadores match between Venezuelan club Zamora and Brazilian side Gremio.

But unlike the child in the video—who, despite his/her wonderful dancing, received only with a cold paternal stiff arm and a drag-em-out ejection—this dog's pitch invasion was greeted with all the respect that such a masterful pitch invasion deserves.

Notice how the dog ambled around nobly, sniffing the ground for whatever reason dogs always do that. Maybe it was looking for gophers, doing a job, trying to keep the playing surface sacred; maybe it was just check to see if other dogs had been there recently or something. Then it even went over to an official to pay proper respect, with a close equivalent to a handshake. Instead of cruelly throwing the dog out for its invasion, the official rewarded the dog with some nice pats and gently tried to coax him out. Even the commentators pay homage:

"I'm a big dog lover… dogs are a part of my family," the commentator says before posing the question, "is there an animal more tender, faithful, and fantastic than a dog?"

Take note, BBC commentator father: "a part of the family," extolling the virtues of the innocent. This is how you pay respect to the noble pitch invader. Gratitude.