Daily Dose of Cute

Video Description: Footage of Dudley playing with his friend Sam at the dog park last weekend. Set to Yann Tierson's "Yellow."

I've written previously about the sweet friendship that has developed between Dudley and a black lab called Sam who we see at the dog park. Sam lost his companion dog last fall, and he's not great with other dogs; it's not that he's aggressive toward them or afraid of them—he just has no interest in them, or, perhaps more accurately, has less interest in them than in chasing a ball. And Dudley has no interest in chasing a ball, or engaging in the tumbling rough-house favored by the other big dogs, but he loves to chase.

The two of them, who couldn't have more different personalities—Sam is utterly disinterested in people and affection; Dudley adores people and seeks out affection from anyone who will give it—have formed this sort of perfect, complementary friendship. Sam's owner throws the ball; Sam chases the ball; Dudley chases Sam.

The casual observer might think they don't interact at all, really, or even that Sam might be annoyed by Dudley, but if Dudz wanders off to get some water, Sam, who just gulps big mouthfuls of snow without slowing down, will run over impatiently, spinning in joyful, frenetic circles to get Dudz back in the game. And occasionally, instead of returning the ball, Sam will leave it in snow and then cheekily take off running while Dudley investigates it, just to get a head start on him.

They are lovely to watch, these two big-hearted creatures who, without a word, have found a way to give each other exactly what they need.