Young Dolphin Shares Playful Moments With Terminally Ill Dog on Last Aquatic Adventure
A videographer recently shared footage recorded back in June 2021, when he witnessed a special bond forming between his dog and a dolphin while sailing off the coast of Rockingham, in Western Australia.
Dylan deHaas told Storyful that, at the time, his “best friend and pet” Diesel had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was given a month to live.
“He declined pretty quickly given the form of cancer he had,” he said, "so we wanted to spend his last days doing the things he loved most, one of which was going out on the boat and standing on the bow as we putted along in the ocean. I spotted some dolphins on the horizon, and decided to head.”
DeHaas explained that dolphins quite commonly bow surf passing boats, but only stay for a few seconds before swimming off. “This time, when the others dropped off, a young calf decided to stay,” he said.
“This is when something I had never seen before happened. Deezy jumped onto the bow and looked straight at the young dolphin, who, incredibly, flipped onto his belly and looked straight back at him.”
He said that dog and dolphin "continued to play with each other, staring and spinning around like friends” for a few moments.
“Not even a week later, we had to put Deezy down due to the cancer taking over his body. I was, and still am, absolutely shattered. However, this memory has a special place in my heart."
Based in Western Australia, Dylan deHaas regularly documents the local marine life, and his encounters with friendly aquatic animals for his Instagram. He described this particular encounter as “the most special moment I have ever witnessed in nature, two totally different animals having a connection.” Credit: Dylan deHaas via Storyful
Video transcript
- Is that diesel? Is it? Is that diesel? Is it?
