Sean Penn Shows Softer Side Puppy Shopping with Girlfriend

Sean Penn's known for playing the bad boy, but his mushy side's a real thing too -- just add puppies and his gf, Leila George.

Sean and Leila were dog shopping Sunday in Louisiana at a local breeder who specializes in Goldendoodles and Retrievers. Cue the awwws.

The couple played with the pups for about an hour, and Sean got in plenty of cuddling -- but we don't know if the pooches moved the needle enough for him to purchase.

This is the first time we've seen Sean since he attempted to block Kate Del Castillo's Netflix documentary about El Chapo. We broke the story ... Sean was worried she'd implicate him as a snitch, and potentially put a target on his back.

The doc aired, but nothing eases fear like puppy love.