Tag: otters

Hearts have melted at a pair of golden retrievers who were determined to make best friends with otters at a recent trip to the zoo.

Four-year-old Charlie, and Mollie the golden puppy who is less than a year old, recently joined their owners for a day out to a wildlife park in Washington, where they befriended a pair of otters.

Becca McCloskey, curator at Northwest Trek Safari Park, explained to Newsweek: “These otters are extremely curious, playful, and perceptive to changes in their environment, so when Northwest Trek had our first-ever Dog Days event, they were just as excited as the dogs were.”

And it’s clear from a viral video on their TikTok account, @charlie.and.mollie on September 6, that the dogs had a day they won’t soon forget.

In a clip viewed more than 400,000 times, goldens Charlie and Mollie stand at the glass walls where the river otters live, staring into the water excitedly, and moving from side to side for the best view.

And all of a sudden, an otter comes right up to the glass and begins interacting with them, soon joined by a second otter. They swim up and down, put their paws on the glass, and appear to be trying to play with the dogs on the other side of the glass.

The dogs react excitedly, their noses pushed against the glass and their tails wagging furiously, as their owner can be heard giggling behind the camera.

McCloskey told Newsweek: “Otters and dogs may not be close relatives, but they share plenty of body language cues; in this case, curiosity and fun won the day.”

She identified the two otters in the video as sisters Blakely and Oakley, who “are active and curious for much of the day, but also enjoy taking long naps, cuddled together in their den.

“They love interacting with their caretakers who provide frequent novel enrichment and training experiences to challenge their eager minds.”

TikTok users loved it, awarding the video more than 86,000 likes, as one commenter joked: “Land puppies, meet water puppies.”

“Hello water dogs! Am land dog!” another said, as another admitted: “I would kill to hear the inner monologue of both the dogs and the otters.”

And as another put it: “Goldens will befriend anyone, haha.”

River otters are highly intelligent and have tight social bonds with each other, according to conservation organization Mass Audubon. They are known to work in teams when hunting, and communicate with chirps, growls, whistles and body language.

Golden retrievers, meanwhile, are known to be among the friendliest breeds of dog, showing huge affection towards families, and getting along well with young children and other dogs, according to the American Kennel Club.

In a video update, Charlie and Mollie’s owner explained they were on a day out at Eatonville, Washington’s Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. On September 4, the park hosted a Dog Days event, which allowed leashed dogs to join their humans for a trip to the zoo. More Dog Days are planned for the wildlife park in 2026.

A poster for the event playfully advised that, during the event, “dogs must keep their humans on leash at all times.”

Newsweek has contacted @charlie.and.mollie via TikTok for comment on this story.

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