In case you can’t tell, that is not a dog in the above video. It’s a young elephant seal. This is one of the sweetest videos I’ve seen in a long time. There is something so tender about this interaction. I thought Dogsters might appreciate this. If not, just pretend the seal is a dog. A really big dog. And I love the March of the Penguins action going on in the background. It’s almost like a Far Side cartoon coming to life.

Note that the woman in the video does not reach out to the seal. That would be a big no-no. It’s amazing she was even allowed to be this close. (Or was she allowed?) I know at our local elephant seal rookery, humans are kept at a significant distance. Authorities don’t want the seals to get used to humans, and besides that, the seals are gigantic, and can easily cause injury. Maybe rules are a little less stringent where this was shot, in the British territory of the South Georgia islands (in the South Atlantic, off of southern South America).

I’d like to thank Donita “Doni” Mason for sniffing out this heartwarming video for us.