Only in Florida: The magical friendship of Lucy the dog and Gus the dolphin

The News-Press

Lucy the dolphin dog lives a life of luxury on Captiva Island.

Five days a week, Cliff Gilchrist, owner of Captiva Island Fishing Charters, takes his Rottweiler-Husky mix with him on his fishing excursions.

"She's my best friend," he said of his first mate.

At nearly three years old, Lucy is no stranger to living life on the edge of a boat.

"She has been coming since she was six months old, when we got her," Gilchrist said.

On a recent trip, Eileen McGunagle, a Captiva Island Fishing Charters customer, captured a video of Lucy with an unexpected friend — a dolphin.

"Lucy and her friend," McGunagle said in the post on Facebook.

Her friend, Gus, as Gilchrist called the dolphin, is seen swimming next to the boat, inches away from Lucy.

Lucy manages to keep her balance — Gilchrist said she's never fallen overboard — as she keeps her eyes on Gus as he glides in and out of the water.

The original video has more than 350,000 views and has been shared nearly 5,000 times. Media outlets nationwide have posted and shared the video.

Because she's always out on the water, dolphin interactions happen regularly for Lucy, but Gilchrist said this is her most viral video.

"She seems to like the boat," Gilchrist said. "Although she may like golf cart rides better. She gets super excited for that."

The next viral video may be of Lucy riding a golf cart, but for now, we'll continue to enjoy her adorable interaction with Gus.