Mystic ― As Frank Bernardo raised his garage door last week to take his dog Simon for a walk, he was surprised that the West Highland terrier didn’t try to quickly scoot underneath as he usually does.

As the garage door rose, Bernardo saw what had stopped Simon in his tracks ― a small grey seal sat just 6 feet away in the driveway of his Morgan Point home.

Bernardo immediately closed the door and began looking up rescue organizations while keeping an eye on the seal through a window.

“I don’t have much experience with baby seals — especially in that close proximity,” Bernardo chuckled, explaining that he knew something was wrong because the seal just looked at him and Simon and didn’t try to get away.

Bernardo called Mystic Aquarium’s 24-hour Marine Animal Rescue Program hotline, and while waiting for help to arrive, the seal, now called Morgan by Noank residents, and Simon watched each other intently.

“The seal was looking right at him, and he was looking right at the seal,” Bernardo said. “He was absolutely mesmerized by it, and I think so was Morgan,” he said.

Sarah Callan, the aquarium’s animal rescue program manager, said Monday that it is not unusual to see young seals onshore this time of year.

Typically, mother seals come ashore to give birth from December to February and nurse for three to four weeks before the pups are on their own. They will also come ashore to rest but are usually healthy.

Callan praised Bernardo’s actions and quick thinking, saying he did everything right. She said people that encounter seals should never approach or try to touch them because seals carry diseases that can be transmitted to people and pets, and they bite. If the animal seems sick or injured, people should call the hotline to report it.

“I have to say, it was pretty damn cute, but many a person has attempted to approach something from the wild that was cute and did not fare well,” Bernardo said, noting that he just wanted to get the animal some help.

Bernardo’s call was not the first the hotline had received about the animal.

Just two days prior, on Jan. 15, Callan had visited Mason’s Island after residents called the hotline about the same seal.

When she arrived, the seal, now called Jeffrey on Mason’s Island, seemed underweight, but otherwise healthy, and was gone from the island the following day.

However, by Jan. 17, the seal pup had developed some eye discharge which signaled he was sick, prompting his trip to the rescue clinic.

Upon arrival, staff determined the five to six-week-old seal pup did have an infection and was also dehydrated and very underweight.

Callan explained that though adult seals weigh 600 to 900 pounds, they are around 100 pounds at birth. She said they routinely lose weight after they stop nursing; however, the pup with two names weighed in at just 34 pounds.

‘Fish school’

Callan said that although seals have teeth, they use them primarily to catch fish before swallowing them whole, but this seal did not seem to know what to do with fish.

Callan said he needed to go to “fish school,” where staff and volunteers wiggle frozen fish, like herring, in the water to simulate swimming and encourage the seal to catch it. She said that he has made some progress, and though he isn’t eating them yet, he will now take the fish and shred them.

They have to put the fish partially into his throat in order to get medications and nutrition into him, but he will swallow it, which is a good sign. Seals get the water they need from the fish they eat, so the clinic is also supplementing his hydration by injecting fluids under his skin until he begins eating on his own.

Callan said seals spend an average of three months at the clinic, but she hopes he will successfully complete “fish school” and reach a healthy weight of around 60 pounds sooner. When he is released, he will be tagged and fitted with acoustic and satellite trackers.

The satellite tracker will allow staff to monitor his location in real time for around three months, until it falls off. The acoustic tracker will send out a signal for 10 years and note the seal’s location whenever he comes within range of a receiver.

In the meantime, though they disagree on what to call him, Callan said residents of Noank and Mason’s Island are checking in with her often for updates on his progress.

For Bernardo, who visited the pup at the aquarium on Wednesday, it was an experience he will not forget.

“It was absolutely incredible,” he said.

Individuals who see a sick, injured, stranded or dead marine mammal or sea turtle are encouraged to call the aquarium’s 24-hour hotline at (860) 572-5955, ext.107. Callers should leave a message and expect a return call.