This is Barkley Stumps — a sweet corgi who loves nothing more than lounging in the warm rays of a sunny day.
But recently, the pup’s owner, Tracey Noble, found him somewhere he’d never ventured before.
The other morning, Noble was tidying up around the house when she paused for a moment to glance at the aquarium tank belonging to her aquatic turtle, Larry.
“I was admiring the clear water, having just cleaned it the night before,” Noble told The Dodo.
All was as it should be. Well, at first, anyway. When Noble shifted slightly while looking at the tank, she suddenly realized that Larry wasn’t alone.
Seemingly inexplicably, Barkley Stumps was suddenly in there, too — or so it appeared.
“I started laughing and grabbed my phone,” Noble said. “It was magical. Barkley was in the tank!”
Or was he?
Turns out, Barkley Stumps was actually on the floor behind Noble. He was reclining in a sunbeam which, given the angle at which Noble viewed the tank, caused the pup’s reflection to be perfectly projected upon the turtle’s tank in front of her.
“I couldn’t believe how clear the reflection of him was,” Noble said.
Noble called her daughter over to check out the optical illusion, too. Though, after a few minutes, the sun drifted out of position and that magical effect slowly faded away. Still, it had been a fleeting moment enjoyed by all.
“Barkley was excited that we were laughing and that he was the center of attention, for sure!” Noble said.
Noble later shared the illusion online, where it received thousands of likes and shares from strangers around the world. It was all thanks to Barkley and an interesting trick of the eye.
“He would be thrilled to know that he brought so much happiness and wonder to so many people!” Noble said. “I am not sure if I could capture that again if I tried!”