A sunfish was in the water when Holly Jorgensen spotted it while she was standing on her pier. She had previously observed him defending his nest. It wasn’t strange behavior until he began keeping an eye on her.
Jorgensen said that although males are well known for protecting their nests, “there was something about the way he looked at me.” After he finished watching over his nest, he started to follow me around and let me pet him.
It was definitely a bit strange, how much the sunfish seemed to like Jorgensen. She named him Greenie, and wondered if she would ever see him again.
As it turned out, Greenie ended up coming back 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 time, Jorgensen started petting Greenie and occasionally giving him wholesome treats. He has even picked up the ability to leap out of the water to grab rewards. Greenie makes sure to attend every one of their visits if he can, showing that he loves Jorgensen just as much as she does.
Jorgensen claimed, “He always has a peculiar way of looking at me.
Recently, much to her chagrin, Greenie swam up to Jorgensen with a hook in his mouth. He appeared to be OK when she was able to carefully remove it while holding him. They become closer every day, and Greenie seems to understand that Jorgensen will always take precautions to keep him safe.
People are usually perplexed when they see Jorgensen and Greenie together when he occasionally goes for a swim in the lake.
One of the young guys questioned, “Is that him?,” as I was telling them about Greenie as I swam to the other end of the lake. It was,” stated Jorgensen. The men could tell he was devoted to me since he had followed me there. They were astounded by him, as are everyone who see him.
A very unique and somewhat inexplicable friendship exists between Greenie and Jorgensen. But there’s no need to explain it. Jorgensen hopes that she and Greenie will be best friends for a very long time since they both understand how much the other means to them.