Bored Panda has contacted Melanie Croce, the executive director at Seal Rescue Ireland, to find out more about their charity and sea puppos in need of rescue.Melanie said that there are a variety of reasons seals need to be rescued. “Usually it's a case of a young seal pup which has been orphaned too early by its mum (often because of humans or dogs approaching or disturbing them), which means it is not receiving fat-rich milk to build vital blubber.”

Another reason seal pups need to be rescued is when they become injured or exhausted from storms. Melanie explained that “due to climate change, there has been a rise in frequency and intensity of storm surges, which can drown inexperienced pups or even throw them into rocks along Ireland's rugged coastlines.”

The third big threat for seals is marine waste. “All plastic that has ever been produced is still in existence today and by the year 2050 there may be more plastic in the ocean than fish, which is disastrous for opportunistic feeders like seals, which can easily mistake it for prey and can cause choking or internal blockages.” This is a certainly a huge motivation to reduce plastic waste at home.

And finally, Melanie said that often seals get sick with parasites and because of pollution, the animals are no longer able to heal themselves. “Toxins, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, agricultural runoff, or sewage in their ecosystem weaken seals' immune systems and they can die from secondary infections.”

Melanie assured us that seals are truly closely related to dogs, and their behaviors certainly are evident of this. “Like dogs, seals are social, intelligent, and curious animals that all have unique personalities.” They form friendships, have favorite hangout spots, and even love to play with toys. “We jokingly call them our mermaid dogs because that's essentially what they are,” she said.

Check out our previous post showing side-by-side just how much these two have in common. No wonder they both belong to the caniformia animal suborder that includes carnivorans like dogs, bears, wolves, foxes, raccoons, badgers, seals, and mustelids.

However, unlike for dogs, it’s very dangerous for wild seals not to have a healthy fear of humans and that’s why the staff members at SRI take a hands-off approach as much as possible. “We try to avoid interacting with them, talking around or to them, or handling them unless absolutely necessary (as tempting as it is to treat them like puppies).”

But despite their efforts to maintain the animals’ wildness, “our staff and interns always have individual favorites, especially when we've personally taken part in their rescue.” Melanie said it’s partly because “their mix of resilience and vulnerability is very relatable.”

For those who're wondering if you can actually adopt a rescued or an orphan seal, I’ve got some good news. SRI offers adoption packages that include a personalized certificate of adoption you can put on your wall, the full rescue story of your seal, a link and password to view regular "PUPdates" so you can see how your buddy is doing, and an invitation to your seal’s release. I mean, who wouldn't like to become a proud parent to a sea puppo?