For most dogs, their friend groups usually consist of a mix of humans and other dogs. But Lili, a 3-year-old dog who lives on a French Polynesian atoll called Fakarava, isn’t like most other dogs. She prefers friends who have gills and fins. In fact, her very best friend is a shark.
Ever since Lili’s mom, Emmanuelle Larchet, adopted Lili, she’s known that her dog has an affinity for all things aquatic. She started swimming in the lagoon near Larchet’s house when she was only a month old.
“She’s really a water dog,” Larchet told The Dodo.
@emmanuellelarchet When your dog has a harmless nurse shark friend, always the same🐶☮️🦈 For those we don’t know, nurse sharks are harmless, eat only dead fish ans fishsell, we live and swim peacefully with them everyday in Fakarava, even little kids. I love my dog too much to put her ine danger, as we all know in Fakarava what we can do or can not do with sharks. We have thousand of them, every specie has a different behaviour. I work to improve their image, and also work with a vet association to help the dogs of the remote islands of French Polynesia, @vetiroa_fenua You can check Lili’s life on Instagram on her page to see how much she is loved: @lilikoi_fakarava. ☮️ to all of you. #sharkanddog #shark #nurseshark #fyp #fakarava #frenchpolynesia #tahiti #fenua #pacific #pacificislands #paradise #pure #traveltiktok #sharkaddict #viral
There are around 100 sharks who live in this lagoon near Larchet’s house. So when Lili swims in the water there, she’s surrounded by them. While many dog parents would be terrified to see their dog swimming amongst sharks, Larchet knows that the sharks Lili swims with are nurse sharks, who are actually very docile creatures.
“We call them sea puppies because [they’re] like dogs, actually … They are very nice,” Larchet said.
Larchet likes to joke that when Lili swims around with her shark friends, it’s sea puppies meeting earth puppies.
Over the years Lili has been swimming in the lagoon, there’s one shark in particular she’s grown especially close with. His name is Sharky, and he and Lili visit each other almost every day. Larchet and Lili are able to recognize Sharky because he has a special marking on one of his fins.
Lili and Sharky like to explore their lagoon together. They enjoy splashing around in the warm, clear water.
@emmanuellelarchet Nurse shark day🦈 When different species interact peacefully ☮️Nurse sharks are armless, without teeth, so no danger for @lilikoi_fakarava 🐶#protectearth #fakarava #havaikilodge #tuamotu #pacificislands #pacificbeach #beautifuldestinations #travelphotography #magicalmoments #purebeauty #underwaterphotography #sharks #mostbeautifulplaceonearth #clearwaters #tahiti #frenchpolynesia #lastparadise #snorkeling #fenua #pure #purenature #nurseshark #dogandshark