Golden retrievers are known for their friendly nature. One golden retriever, in particular, named Gunner, has taken the breed’s tendency to make friends to a whole new level.

Gunner just loves to make friends, but it is one friendship in particular that is making waves. You see, Gunner’s best friend is a dolphin named Delta.

Gunner and Delta meet for the first time

The two met when Gunner was only eight weeks old, and they have been friends ever since. As for Delta, he, like many of his species, formed a friendship with the young Gunner over a shared interest, the toys that Delta likes to share with the friendly dog every time he visits.

“I started to notice that every time I would bring Gunner down, Delta was the first dolphin over to the dock. He would bring him his toys as if he was trying to play with him,” Gunner’s owner, Marie Blanton, told Insider.

A friendship develops

Blanton is a senior trainer at Florida’s Dolphin Research Center, where Delta lives. According to her, the friendship started soon after she first took Gunner to work with her.

“When [Gunner] first went on the docks, I was expecting him to bark, or get really excited, but he did the exact opposite: He just laid down and watched,” Blanton said.

His behavior intrigued Delta, and soon the two were playing together, with Gunner grabbing the toys that Delta presented to him. Eight years later and the two are still friends, despite their differences.

Gunner doesn’t visit as much as he used to

“The friendship just blossomed over time,” she said. “As both boys have gotten a bit older, they don’t get to see each other quite as much now,” Blanton said.

Regardless of how often Gunner accompanies her to work now, which is only a few times a month, Delta recognizes his friend every time. He is always the first dolphin to swim over and greet Gunner when he does get a chance to visit.

A kiss goes viral

More recently, a photo was posted on Twitter of the pair, and the post ended up getting over 1.3 million likes. In the image, Delta and Gunner are shown giving each other a big kiss on the lips. In addition to liking the post, people also made over 242,000 comments.

Celebrating the pair’s long friendship

The Dolphin Research Center was also kind enough to share some throwback photos of the two. It just goes to show that some friendships can last a lifetime, regardless of what species they are.

For more on the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, visit the organization’s Facebook page. You can watch the sweet interaction between the two friends in the video below.

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Source: Facebook/Pawverbs

H/T: I Love My Dog So Much, Insider