A 40-year-old wild dolphin, who has been best friends with a dog for nearly seven years, has extended the friendship by introducing one of his babies to his fun-loving canine friend.
Jojo the dolphin frequents the waters of Providenciales, an island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago southeast of the Bahamas, and loves nothing more than playing with a springer/cocker spaniel mix named Zyzz.
“Whenever Zyzz is on the boat and Jojo shows up, they always play together,” Mark told The Epoch Times. “Jojo has a baby, Dreamer, who is even more playful with Zyzz, and they are always playing chase whenever they get to catch up.”
Zyzz first met Dreamer when she was only a few months old and was actually bigger than him, Mark recalled.
Describing their playful antics, Mark said Zyzz jumps into the water as soon as he sees Jojo. While Zyzz swims in circles, Jojo floats beneath him, vertically, “nudging” him from below. The playful Dreamer, who Mark estimates to be 2 to 3 years old, on the other hand, hides under water and pops up, jumps around intermittently trying to tease the dog into chasing her. Jojo has been around a lot of the times Dreamer and Zyzz have played together. However, many times, she just sits back and allows the two to play chase.
“Zyzz has the same kind of ‘best buddies’ relationship with Dreamer as he does with Jojo,” Mark said.
Witnessing the unusual friendship that Zyzz shares with both Jojo and Dreamer, Mark said: “It’s an incredible bond and one that is so rare. Zyzz came from a city in the UK and now gets to swim with these wild dolphins and play with them, it’s so amazing to watch!”
When the trio are together, said Mark, the dolphins ignore the humans and enjoy company amongst themselves.
Jojo is well known among the locals and tourists who have a plethora of stories to share about meeting the friendly dolphin.
“He has lived out the front of Grace Bay, the main tourist beach in Providenciales, his whole life,” said Mark. “There have been other dolphins that come and go here, but Jojo has made Turks his home, and is often seen swimming and playing with tourists.”
Mark has had Zyzz since his university days in Hull, England. As a student, Mark missed having a dog greet him at the door since moving from his family home, and he thus adopted Zyzz at 8 weeks old. The little canine then found the perfect outlet for his boundless energy when Mark moved to Turks to start his boat company.
“He loves the water and loves swimming with dolphins,” Mark said. “He loves walking/playing fetch on the beach though and keeps out of the water a little more.”
Although Zyzz enjoys the waters, Mark said that the now-10-year-old dog gets tired quickly while swimming, owing to his age, and climbs back on the boat more often than ever.
“His ears don’t like the water; we often have to clean them and treat them for infections, so his water days are more limited now,” Mark added.
But still, Zyzz’s partial retirement from the waters hasn’t affected the friendship he has with Jojo and Dreamer.
On the responses garnered since documenting their journey, Mark said: "We get a lot of comments from people stuck in cities, or having a bad day, saying we have cheered them up and brought some light into their lives ... which makes me so happy to hear.
“It’s amazing to see, and so great being able to share with the world!”
