By Nikki Gaskins
ngaskins@abcnews4.com
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) -- Move over Lassie and Beethoven. A new dog has taken the world by storm, and she happens to be a dachshund named Madeline with a very playful spirit.
So what's her claim to fame? Well, let's just say it involves a crab, but it's not just any crab. It's a ghost crab.
"Madeline was definitely trying to have a good time," recalls Madeline's owner, Emma Crompton.
The video was taken by Emma's boyfriend, Jason Wheeler, and it involves Madeline playfully taunting a little crab on the beach of Pawleys Island. It was apparently so cute Good Morning America eventually ran the YouTube clip on air a few days ago.
"They played for a good 20 minutes before I even got my camera and just kind of followed them. It lasted a long time," Jason said. "The water came and washed the crab away, and it finally ended."
Now that video has gone viral with nearly a million views on YouTube.
"It then was on The Today Show," Wheeler said. "I had a guy in Japan send me a message wanting to use it on Fuji TV in Japan."
So move over Lassie, the world appears to have a new pet star -- at least for the time being.
"Madeline has always been a little bit of a diva, so I guess it makes sense that she's a little bit of a celebrity," joked Crompton.
With the YouTube video trending big also in Australia, the happy couple says they're glad Madeline has created a lot of smiling faces all over the globe.
"She's really special to us, and now we get to share her with the whole world," Crompton said.
Madeline is a two-year-old rescued dog. The couple says they hope the video brings attention to Pawleys Island as well as pet rescue and adoption.
