A Dog’s Barking Leads Its Owner To An Helpless Baby Dolphin

This is the time when a quick thinking dog will save the life of a poor marine mammal in desperate need of help. The heroic dog, a Springer Spaniel named Leia, saw the porpoise washed up on the shore and began to bark, leading her owner to him. The man finally managed to save the defenseless creature. Rich Wilcock, a photography enthusiast, was walking his two-year-old dog along the coast near Criccieth, Wales, when Leia suddenly barked uncontrollably, as if trying to get her father’s attention. Rich followed his dog and was surprised to find a stranded sea animal. “I was photographing the beautiful landscape when Leia was starting to make a real fuss,” the man told the Daily Post. “She kept coming towards me, barking and pushing me, she must have smelled the dolphin from a mile away. At first I thought it was a baby shark, it was only about a foot and a half tall, but upon closer inspection I could see the hole on the top of its head and realized it was a dolphin.

Although Rich eventually identified the marine mammal as a dolphin, the Seawatch Foundation marine official said it was more likely a porpoise. Porpoises are marine mammals that look quite similar to dolphins, but are actually closely related to belugas and narwhals. Anyway, the most important thing is that Rich managed to save the little boy’s life when he returned him to deep water.

Then he and Leia stayed on that beach for at least an hour just to make sure the porpoise was safe. “There was no one for miles, so I did what I could, as smoothly as possible,” Rick said. “I gently lifted it under his stomach and let him slide through the waves and he swam into deeper water.” The man also mentioned that his dog received some additional gifts upon his return home, as the ransom should be (completely) attributed to her. “She’s a very smart bitch, smarter than most,” Rich said.