San Diego rescue dog has plenty to say during rare orca encounter

A pod of rarely seen orcas was a wonderful source of excitement for a group of San Diego whale watchers last Wednesday. But perhaps the most curious and enthusiastic member of the charter was a rescue dog named Fin.

The accompanying footage, captured by Domenic Biagini of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, shows a tethered Fin gazing intently at the orcas while expressing an apparent desire to leap overboard and greet them personally.

Bigaini imagined via Instagram how Fin might recall the encounter:

“Last week I got to meet the pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific Killer Whales that everyone was talking so much about last winter. As a lifelong HUGE fan of dolphins, it was such a treat to meet the biggest dolphins in the world!”

Fin added: “I told my dad that I wasn’t thrilled being confined to the middle part of the boat by two leashes, but my dad knew that I’d be a sea-puppy without those restraints! I just wanted a sniff!”

The orcas were so close that Fin began to bark, but was quickly calmed.

The 5-year-old mixed lab/retriever, found in poor condition near the U.S.-Mexico border, has developed excellent sea legs and eagerly accompanies Biagini on his charters.

Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, most commonly encountered off Mexico, occasionally venture into Southern California waters to hunt dolphins and other marine mammals.

Gone Whale Watching San Diego encountered the ETPs last Wednesday and observed the mammals until sunset as they began to swim back toward Mexico.