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Woodchuck Hitches A Ride On A Dog's Back and Yes, There's Video

by Julie Scagell
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Originally Published: 
YouTube/WCVB

Wally the good boy apparently loves all animals

Sometimes you just need a good woodchuck meets golden retriever story to brighten up your Sunday. The unlikely friends met up at Hickory Hills Lake in Massachusetts when Wally the dog gave the woodchuck a ride back to shore.

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Lauren Russell took Wally out for a swim in May at Hickory Hills Lake, one of the dog’s favorite places to visit. While he was swimming around near a little island and Russell was canoeing, she said she saw a woodchuck approach Wally and without hesitation, climbed up right on his back like it was no big deal. It was as if the woodchuck ordered a water Uber and Wally answered the call, maintaining his near-perfect 4.9-star rating.

Russell and her husband captured the sweet moment on video and it’s as adorable as you’d imagine. “He was about 100 meters out, and a woodchuck I think just crawled right up on his back, and he swam back to shore with him,” Russell told WCVB. “We were flabbergasted. It was unbelievable. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”

Russell told the news outlet that Wally loves animals and didn’t mind the woodchuck hitching a ride to shore. “He’s just an angel. He loves all animals. He loves little kids, people, you know, it doesn’t get better than Wally,” she said. You can see in the video Wally looking back several times like, “Good day, sir. This is unexpected but I shall happily bring you back to shore because I am the Best Boy and this is what Best Boys do.”

Russell said she wasn’t sure if the woodchuck was “in distress or just lazy.” But wait. There’s more.

The sweet moment ended when the two-year-old pup dropped his new friend off and they briefly touched snouts as a “kiss” before parting ways. “It came back to the island, hopped off his back, and then scurried away, and they gave each other a little kiss goodbye,” said Russell. “They like touched snouts, and then he ran away.” You can see Wally looking for his friend but the woodchuck clearly had pressing plans it was late for and couldn’t stay.

Woodchucks aren’t dangerous and generally keep to themselves. They have short little legs which could account for his needing a ride back to shore. If you’ve ever had or met a golden, you know they have the most sweet and gentle disposition, which makes this entire encounter even more adorable (if that’s possible). Wally just wanted to be helpful and helpful he was.

We’re pretty sure Wally got all of the treats after he got home for helping a friend in need. What a very good boy he is.

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