Holly Jorgensen was standing on her dock when she noticed a sunfish in the water.
He appeared to be guarding his nest, which she’d seen before. It wasn’t unusual behavior — until he started watching her.
“The males are notorious for guarding their nests, but there was something about the way he looked at me,” Jorgensen said.
“When he was through guarding his nest he began following me around and letting me pet him.”
The sunfish seemed to enjoy Jorgensen a lot, which was a little unusual. Greenie was his name, and she worried if she’d ever see him again.
Greenie, as it turned out, returned again and again — and every single day after that.
“It seemed amazing that he remembered me until I read about a university study that proved fish can distinguish a human face from 44 others and remember it for six months,” Jorgensen said.
During the first winter, Jorgensen wondered if she would see Greenie again once everything thawed, but as soon as spring hit he was back at the dock, waiting for his new best friend.
Jorgensen and Greenie have now been friends for five years. Sometimes Greenie will bring a friend along with him, but they never seem to keep coming back the same way Greenie does.
Over the years, Jorgensen began to pet Greenie and occasionally gives him healthy snacks. He’s even learned to jump out of the water to claim his treats.
Greenie clearly loves Jorgensen just as much as she loves him, and never misses one of their visits if he can help it.
“He always looks at me in a special way,” Jorgensen said.
There was a time recently when Greenie swam up to Jorgensen with a hook in his mouth, much to her dismay. She was able to hold him and gently remove it though, and he seemed to be OK after that.
With every day, their bond grows, and Greenie seems to know that Jorgensen will always do what she can to keep him safe.
Greenie will occasionally accompany Jorgensen to the lake for a swim, and people are often perplexed when they see the two together.
“One day I swam to the other end of the lake and was telling some young men about Greenie when one of them asked, ‘Is that him?’ It was,” Jorgensen said.
“He had followed me there, and the guys could tell he was attached to me. They were amazed, as everyone is when they see him.”
Greenie and Jorgensen have a very special, almost unexplainable friendship.
It doesn’t need to be explained though. The pair know what they mean to each other, and Jorgensen hopes that she and Greenie will be best friends for many years to come.
