Special Needs Dog at Aquarium Loses Balance—Dolphins Act Immediately

An unexpected and precious interaction between a special needs dog and rescue dolphins quickly went viral with over 31.5 million views on Instagram.

Beans, a dog with mobility issues, visited Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium last year and quickly became part of the family. The aquarium staff invited him back recently for another visit, but no one was prepared for what would happen when he headed to his favorite spot next to the dolphins.

In the December 20 video posted to the account @denalisnewlife, Beans stumbled and lost his balance. The two dolphins, Izzy and Nicholas, glided by and noticed. They immediately went over to “check on their buddy.”

They looked at Beans with concern, wondering if he was all right. Beans then took his spot on a blanket to admire his friends swimming around. The owners and staff members were shocked to see the dolphins showing off their toys to Beans, a sign that a friendships had formed between the glass.

Part of the caption reads: “We were all speechless when Izzy brought her toy over to show Beans. They have a truly special friendship and it shows just how kind & compassionate animals can be.”

The dolphins live at the aquarium, a marine life rescue center. It helps rescue and rehab marine animals with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.

Izzy and Nicholas, however, are both permanent residents of the aquarium. Izzy experienced years of illegal human interaction that caused a decline in her health before being rescued in June 2022 near North Padre Island, Texas.

Nicholas came in with his mother, Noelle, after being stranded near Gibsonton, Florida, in 2002. The two dolphins had third-degree burns, and unfortunately Noelle passed a few days later. Nicholas made a full recovery and has stayed at Clearwater Marine Aquarium since then because he did not have his mother to help teach him how to survive in the wild, the aquarium’s website states.

Newsweek reached out to @denalisnewlife via email for additional comment.

Viewer Reactions

The Instagram clip reached over 1 million likes and 6,000 comments as of Thursday.

“I’m crying in my coffee. That was the sweetest interaction,” wrote one viewer.

Another said: “Omg… I’m crying!! What a sweet moment. Animals truly have a special connection to each other. Love this sooo much.”

A third commented: “Showing your toy to another animal is the ultimate sign of trust and respect.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.