The fast thinking of this dog on his paws saved the life of a poor aquatic critter in serious need of assistance. When Leia, the springer spaniel, noticed a newborn dolphin stranded on the beach, she began barking and leading her owner towards it, where the man was able to save the vulnerable creature. Rich Wilcock, a photographer, was walking his 2-year-old dog, Leia, along the coastline at Criccieth, Wales, when the dog began barking wildly, drawing his attention. Wilcock discovered the beached marine creature while following the dog.
“I was photographing the magnificent scenery when Leia started to raise a great old fuss,” the man said in an interview. She kept approaching me, barking and prodding me, as if she could smell the dolphin a mile away. I initially mistook it for a young shark because it was only around one and a half feet long, but upon closer study, I noticed the blow hole on top of his head and recognized it was a dolphin.
The man thought the animal was a dolphin at first, but a marine official from the Seawatch Foundation said it was probably a young porpoise. Porpoises look a lot like dolphins, but they are more closely related to narwhals and belugas.
YouTube video screenshotWhatever mammal the mammal belonged to, the essential thing was that Rich was able to save it by guiding it back to deeper waters. Later, he and Leia remained on the shore for over an hour to ensure the safety of the marine creature. “There was nobody around for miles,” Rich recalls in the interview, “so I did what I could as gently as possible.” He swam away into deeper water when I carefully lifted him under the belly and popped him back into the waves.”
He also stated that his dog received additional treats when they returned home because the mammal was spared thanks of her, adding, “She is a highly intelligent dog, more intelligent than most.”
