A golden retriever ignored the calls of its owners and continued to swim with a gray whale off Whidbey Island, on Tuesday, July 26.

John Derlega shared this video of his mother-in-law’s six-year-old dog, Tippy, powering through the waters to frolic with the gray whale on Instagram, adding the caption: ’Whale’s Best Friend’.

“You can hear everyone on the beach shouting for Tippy to return to shore, but Tippy seems to be enjoying herself with the whale,” Derlega told Storyful.

Derlega said that Tippy swims around the bay most days, usually playing with seals and attempting to catch fish.

“I think this gentle encounter is objectively a rare and interesting interspecies moment.”

“I’m sure she’ll happily swim with the whale again!” Credit: John Derlega via Storyful