Dolphin ‘plays’ with Golden Retriever off WA beach

A dolphin and a pet dog have been filmed splashing around together in the shallows of Western Australia's Rockingham Beach.

Video captured by local resident Brett shows a bottlenose dolphin circling the Golden Retriever close to the shore on Sunday morning.

The unlikely pair then engage in a game of chase, with the pooch pursuing the mammal along the coastline.  

At one point, the dolphin and dog appearing to swim alongside one another.

Professor Lars Bejder from the Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit told 9news.com.au the dolphin was likely exploring the coastline in search of fish.

“In most coastal areas, including Rockingham, we often see these bottlenose dolphins in shallow areas,” Prof. Bejder said.

“When they come across something novel, they want to check it out.”

He said that bottlenose dolphins have a “very complex social structure within their own species”, but interactions with other animals remain “relatively unknown”.

The dog’s owner told Brett it was the second time his dog had engaged with a dolphin on Rockingham Beach.