Sad Pit Bull Finds Comfort In Lifelong Friendship With Adorable Kitten

It’s totally accurate to say that we love wholesome animal content as much as you do. Let’s face it – anything with cute, furry animals (especially those that become an unlikely pair of pals), really warms our hearts. 

A sweet pit bull who came to be known as Dude was just a tiny parvo puppy when he was found and rescued by his present-day owner, Florida resident Julie Burroughs, in 2015. Burroughs discovered him stranded on an island in the Caribbean.   

After being rescued by Burroughs, the affectionate and lovey Dude became an integral part of her life. The doggy remained by Burroughs’ side through a divorce and was also extremely close to her older pit bull, Harley Jane.

At the time, 48-year-old Burroughs had a busy schedule as a finance and insurance manager for an RV dealership, which experienced an increase in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering Dude was deeply grieving and mourning the loss of his best pal, Burroughs decided to get a kitten instead of another dog. 

Naturally, it took some time for Ace and Dude to become close and get used to having each other around. The dynamic between the two seemed a bit tenuous, at first. Dude was super interested in Ace’s crate when Burroughs first brought the little guy home, so she kept Dude on a leash during their initial interactions. 

Ace is quite the naughty lad in the Burroughs household (and a formerly innocent Dude sometimes get in on the shenanigans, too). The adventurous Ace leaps onto counters and knocks bags of treats over so the two can munch on the goodies while Burroughs is at work. As a precautionary measure, she now keeps the treats hidden in a cabinet.   

When Dude and Ace aren’t causing trouble around the house, they wrestle and play, and also cuddle up together. Dude leaves his jaw open, while Ace just swats at his mouth. Wow, talk about trust!

The wonderfully “unlikely” connection and silliness between Dude and Ace became a crucial diversion for Burroughs during the tough and uncertain times of the pandemic. Burroughs hopes that the bond between them will cast a more positive light on pit bulls and that they’re not solely vicious and aggressive animals, as they are commonly perceived to be. 

This adorable photo of a dog and duck made us melt with happiness. Pam Ishiguro owns two Pekin ducks named Rudy and Pippi, who have become close friends with Ishiguro’s golden retriever, Barclay. Rudy, in particular, has won the heart of the big guy, the two of which are pictured here. 

Elsa, the koala, and Hope, the wombat, formed a tight bond while the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, New South Wales, was closed for months due to the pandemic. Periodically, the staff at the park would put Hope in the wombat’s habitat while they cleaned her living quarters.

At Pairi Daiza, a Belgium zoo, a cluster of small-clawed Asian otters who reside in a river located in the orangutan territory have taken a liking to two orangutans: a 24-year-old male, Uijan, and a 15-year-old female, Sari. Since 2017, Uiijan and Sari have lived there with their son. 

When her male partner passed away in 2013, a female rhino named Kanchi at a Bangladesh zoo grew to be very depressed. She became really quiet and even lost her appetite, so the workers made the decision to introduce her to a sheep to step in as a companion. Amazingly, it worked!  

In 2016, two Saint Bernard dogs became unlikely companions to a baby goat. Isolde Mattart, the dog’s owner, adopted the baby goat, Hans, after his mother died and his owners couldn’t take care of him any longer. 

This sweet photo from 2005 shows a tiger cub resting on a dog’s back. The Amur cub, who was four years old at the time, grew attached to the wonder dog who actually nursed two tiger cubs at a zoo. The dog became a surrogate mom to the cubs. 

This remarkable image shows a buffalo in Kenya, Africa carrying a group of oxpecker birds on its head and neck. Birds often flock to buffalo, feeding on lice and fleas that may be living on the buffalo’s back. The relationship between the birds and buffaloes becomes symbiotic since the birds clean their fur and the birds, therefore, score an easy meal. 

In Brooklyn, New York, a cat adoption center called The Brooklyn Cat Cafe, houses rats to serve as friends for abandoned kittens until they are adopted.

The Zoological Wildlife Foundation in Miami, Florida is home to about 180 animals, including leopards, otters, lions, and a camel. The owners, Maria and Mario Tabraue, often bring their German shepherd dog, Igor, to the foundation and let the animals interact with him. 

Cheetahs and dogs have remarkably similar social structures and dispositions, so it’s not really a shock that this cheetah and dog became best pals. Salati, the cheetah, and Tommy, the golden retriever, look more than happy in this photo that was taken in South Africa in 2010.  

In this image are two golden retriever puppies and a white tiger cub playing at Beijing Wildlife Park in 2018. The golden retriever mother not only milked and raised her puppies but also other wild animals who were abandoned by their mothers.

Dogs and deer are another examples of social species that have the amazing ability to form lifelong friendships. In a particular episode of Nature on PBS called “Animal Odd Couples,” it delves into the unique relationship between dogs and deer.   

The unlikely friendship between this dachshund and hedgehog could be connected to the fact that both animals are social creatures who provide tactile sensations for each other.  

Dennis the duckling was left without a mother after a fox killed her. However, Dennis’ life was forever changed when Fred the labrador, and his owner, Jeremy, discovered and rescued Dennis. 

One-year-old Mabel the chicken was suffering a foot injury and was thankfully rescued before her life would have been taken from her. When Mabel moved into her new humble abode, she took a liking to roost a group of puppies.

Be prepared to smile with this adorable duo! Milo the dachshund and Bonedigger the lion became fast friends when Milo befriended Bonedigger after a metabolic bone disease left him disabled. 

This wonderfully sweet tale of a tiger named Shere Khan, a bear named Baloo, and a lion named Leo will make you tear up. Rescued together from a horribly abusive drug dealer, the three became inseparable. Baloo even needed surgery to remove a harness that had grown into his skin and caused deformities (the owner never adjusted it).  

Kasi the cheetah and Mtani the labrador were both raised together at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. As they grew up, observing their blossoming friendship became a treasure to behold. Sadly, as Kasi got older, he drifted away from Mtani, and became more interested in the female cheetahs in the next pen.   

Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the blue tick hound bonded together as residents of a rare and endangered species reserve in the U.S. Orangutans are, in fact, endangered, but dogs are certainly less so. 

Despite their massive difference in size, Bubbles the elephant and Bella the black labrador has become very best pals. Bubbles was brought to a safari reserve in the U.S. after she was rescued from ivory poachers in Africa, while Bella was left there as a park contractor. 

Manni the wild boar piglet was discovered starving in a field in southwest Germany and brought home by the Dahlhaus family. When Manni met their Jack Russell terrier, Candy, they hit it off right off the bat. 

These two white tiger cubs were separated from their mother after her enclosure was flooded during a hurricane. Luckily for them, they were adopted by an animal reserve in the U.S., by Anjana the chimp, and their caretaker, China York.