Dogs have a long history of fishing with humans. But we’ve always thought dogs assist their humans with the catch or simply keep them company. We didn’t think they could be expert fishers on their own. Now meet Rani, a Golden Retriever with some expert fishing skills!
Rani stands perfectly still in the water of her family’s lakefront property, watching the movement of the fish below the surface. With patience and cunning she waits for the right moment and then snatches the fish right out of the water!
According to her mom and Mississippi resident Patty Aguirre, Rani has caught dozens of fish in her life and has done so for many years. From this earlier video from some years back, Rani uses bread under her mouth for bait to “snatch a big bluegill out of the water.” Now that’s some expert fishing!
Rani does eat what she she catches, with the exception of turtles (she has on occasion caught a few of the reptiles). “Rani shares the fish with Finn [another of their Goldens]. They eat them. She lets the turtles go. She just loves turtles, but she never hurts them,” wrote Patty.
Unlike some dogs, she ignores ducks, focussing only on her fishing.
It’s the soft mouths and natural retrieving ability that has made Golden Retrievers such a popular breed with hunters for centuries. They are so gentle that they can carry an egg in their mouth without cracking the shell. And Rani has been known to actually put fish back in the water when she doesn’t want to eat them.
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