Dogs make fast friends with playful otters in enchanting viral video: "Land puppies, meet water puppies"

Eatonville, Washington - These sweet Golden Retriever dogs made some new otter friends recently at Northwest Trek Safari Park, and a video of the encounter went viral.

Dogs Charlie and Mollie look on spellbound at the aquarium as two otters come swimming towards them.
Dogs Charlie and Mollie look on spellbound at the aquarium as two otters come swimming towards them.  © Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@charlie.and.mollie

In the TikTok clip, Golden Retrievers Charlie and Mollie are gazing spellbound at the water tank when two otters come swimming towards them.

There is an immediate flurry of activity as the zoo animals orient themselves to the furry friends, swimming at lightning speed to where their heads are.

Charlie backs away after a few seconds, but Mollie jumps wildly back and forth with glee.

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And then something magical happens – the cute otters keep "chasing" her head! They want to play, too, it seems.

When Mollie also finally retreats from her new friends, the otters swim two windows away to catch up with her. Mollie's owner then encourages her to take another look.

The otters do indeed orient themselves towards her for a moment, but then the air is out.

The question remains as to why the otters responded so well to the dogs. Becca McCloskey, curator at Northwest Trek Safari Park, spoke with Newsweek to give some answers.

Viral TikTok video shows heartwarming moment between animal pals

Mollie the dog interacts so sweetly with the two otters!
Mollie the dog interacts so sweetly with the two otters!  © Screenshot/TikTok/@charlie.and.mollie

"These otters are extremely curious, playful, and perceptive to changes in their environment," the zookeeper explained.

"So when Northwest Trek had our first-ever Dog Days event, they were just as excited as the dogs were."

But there is another reason why the dissimilar animals harmonized so well together.

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"Otters and dogs may not be close relatives, but they share many common body language signals. In this case, curiosity and fun won out," McCloskey concluded.

"Land puppies, meet water puppies," joked one commenter of the viral clip, as another echoed, "Hello water dogs! Am land dog!"

"I would kill to hear the inner monologue of both the dogs and the otters," wrote a third.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@charlie.and.mollie

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