I have lived in Dunedin, New Zealand most of my life and have never had an encounter like this before. Normally I would no more let my dogs play with a sea lion than a grizzly bear. But this boy was very unusual. He played with my young dog for about 45 minutes. He was amazing to watch – so fast and powerful, but very careful not to hurt his playmate.
When things got too excitable for my peace of mind, I ended the game and we left him. He hauled up onto the beach and begged us to come back. When we returned back along the beach a couple of hours later, the tide had gone out and he had gone with it.
Good luck, sea lion. Be safe out there.
