![\"Tottenville](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/5ABHGFIHQZDCFDHWVD2W4K235M.jpeg\")
Michael Pettinato, his wife Sugeidy, and their miniature poodle Tony Bear spotted a seal off the coast of Tottenville on Sunday. (Courtesy of Michael Pettinato)Courtesy of Michael Pettinato<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Michael Pettinato, his wife Sugeidy, and their miniature poodle Tony Bear got a holiday surprise they had been eagerly awaiting: spotting a wild seal lounging in its natural environment off the Staten Island shoreline. <\/p>\n
After many morning walks hoping to spot a seal without \u201cany luck,\u201d Sunday rolled around in unremarkable fashion \u2014 at first. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe brought our mini poodle for a walk, not thinking we\u2019d be able to see it because of the time,\u201d Pettinato told the Advance\/SILive.com. <\/p>\n
Cresting the terrain at Butler Manor along the South Shore of the borough, Pettinato said his eye was \u201cimmediately caught\u201d by a seal, sprawled out on a rock in the water. <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026when I tell you, it was one of the best experiences of my life, seeing wildlife like that: free, yawning, living life,\u201d Pettinato said. \u201c\u2026it was a great experience for me and my wife.\u201d <\/p>\n
He joked, \u201cI was a little jealous.\u201d <\/p>\n
Michael Pettinato, his wife Sugeidy, and their miniature poodle Tony Bear spotted a seal off the coast of Tottenville on Sunday. (Courtesy of Michael Pettinato)Courtesy of Michael Pettinato<\/p>\n
Their excursions began after a Google search on Staten Island wildlife led them to an Advance\/SILive.com article that revealed that more seals were being spotted along the coastline of the borough in recent years. <\/p>\n
Former New Dorp natives, the Pettinatos moved with their children, Miranda and Lorenzo, and Tony Bear, to Tottenville about six years ago. <\/p>\n
Seals \u2014 like other wild animals that call Staten Island home \u2014 are best admired from a distance. <\/p>\n