This Golden Retriever Letting A Baby Koala Ride On Her Back Will Brighten Your Day
It's hard to imagine many things cuter than a baby koala — unless it's that same fuzzy little joey riding on the back of a happy golden retriever. That's exactly what a resident of Bolwarra, Australia, discovered in September 2025. "Heard the dogs barking and went outside and called them, and Denni came running up to me with this on her back, both as happy as Larry," Steve Lamplough wrote on his community notice board's Facebook feed alongside adorable photos of the unlikely animal duo.
Commenters loved the photos. Tine Brok commented, "Aawww koala climbed the first warm furry body to come near lol." Suzie McGee joked, "It followed me home, Dad, please can I keep him?" One punster commented that Denni the golden retriever is clearly "an officially recognized and koala-fied carer."
The joey seemed completely comfortable riding on 9-year-old Denni, which perhaps shouldn't be surprising considering that a joey will often cling to its mother's back from about the age of 7 months, after emerging from the mother's pouch. It was a sight Lamplough had never seen before, despite having a large manna gum tree on his property that often attracts koalas. "It was quite amazing to see," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Fortunately, Lamplough was able to gently remove the joey and place it back in a tree, where its mother found it about 15 minutes later. Neither the koalas nor the golden retriever suffered any ill effects from the encounter.
Why even koalas loves golden retrievers
Many comments on the Facebook post mentioned how kind, sweet, and loving golden retrievers are. Sue Merryfull wrote, "This happened with our golden retriever many years ago. They are such a gentle breed, I think the Koala must know they are safe with them." Goldens are considered to be one of the dog breeds with the best temperament and also one of the most emotionally intelligent dog breeds, frequently used as emotional support dogs. These social dogs are great with kids, making them a good choice for families, and they tend to get along well with other animals. Their friendly faces and eagerly wagging tails often make passersby stop to say hello, and most of them adore being petted by anyone and everyone.
Steve Lamplough described Denni in his interview as friendly and loving. "When she had pups, she was a fantastic mother," he said. "Maybe that is why she accepted the baby koala." For more feel-good stories, check out these moments of animal affection that will melt your heart and these sassy animals who will make you laugh.