Lauren Lynde and her husband brought their 2-year-old golden retriever, Wally, for a swim on the first hot day of the summer. The family rowed their canoe to one of the islands in Hickory Hills Lake in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, completely unaware that they were about to have an unexpected meeting.
Wally enjoys swimming, and getting him out of the water is nearly impossible. “We usually give him sticks or his ball to pursue,” Lynde told The Dodo, “but he’ll also simply swim around in circles by himself, which is pretty entertaining.” “He also wears a little shark life vest.”
Wally was paddling around in the lake when Lynde spotted something bobbing in the water nearby. At first, Lynde thought it was an otter or a large stick — then the mysterious object hopped on Wally’s back.
That’s when she realized the “stick” was actually a woodchuck.
“My spouse and I couldn’t believe it,” Lynde said. “Wally merely glanced at the woodchuck, started swimming back to shore, and the woodchuck got on his back as we watched.” Wally was completely unconcerned. He merely resumed swimming after a few glances over his shoulder.”
Lynde couldn’t figure out why the woodchuck was swimming – maybe he was simply trying to cool off like the rest of us.
Luckily, the only thing Wally loves as much as swimming is making new friends. “He loves every animal he encounters,” Lynde said. “He especially loves little kids and will give them a kiss right on the face when he sees them. He’s the sweetest dog ever and gets along with everybody.”
You can watch Wally and the woodchuck go for a swim here:
The woodchuck appeared happy for the ride and made a point of thanking Wally when they arrived at their destination.
“A little before they came to shore, he stepped off Wally’s back, and they stared at each other and rubbed their snouts together, kind of like a farewell,” Lynde added. “The woodchuck dashed up to the shore, they exchanged one final glance, and he fled away, leaving Wally to resume swimming.”
“I honestly couldn’t believe it,” she added. “I was dumbfounded.”
Woodchucks are often shy, but something about Wally made the wild animal feel at ease.
“I think Wally simply emanates goodness,” Lynde explained, “and maybe everyone can sense that, even the animals.”
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