Free Unlikely Friendships : 47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland Page B

ride cat. Cat nuzzles chicks. Dog and cat nap. Dog and chicks play in the pool. Cat slaps dog playfully while riding by on automatic vacuum cleaner
. No doubt Helen’s is the only house on the block—in the world?—boasting such antics among its pets.
    The animals don’t seem to mind being stalked by paparazzi; they just do their thing regardless of the audience. But the clearest bond is the one ever growing between dog and cat. “They make me laugh so much,” says Helen. “Sometimes Sharky and Max sit in exactly the same position, one paw stretched out straight and the other crunched inward, like they’re mocking each other.” And other times, she says, they sprawl out back to back by the pool, two friends just looking at the sky.

{G ERMANY, 2009}

The
Potbellied Piglet
and the
Rhodesian Ridgeback

    RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

The Rhodesian ridgeback is named for the ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction of the rest of its coat. Originally bred in South Africa to hunt lions, it is known for its bravery and stamina.

    POTBELLIED PIG

The potbellied pig can make a great pet because of its intelligence. It can be housebroken and trained to walk on a leash. However, its almost constant desire for food can lead to destructive “rooting,” which is when it uses its snout to dig or explore.
    Here’s a dog that’s bred tough enough to hunt boar, bobcats, and bears. But give it a wrinkled-sausage of a piglet, and it turns into the tender motherly type.
    One cold night in 2009, Roland Adam of Hoerstel, Germany, discovered a pair of recently born pigs on his twenty-acre property. One had already died of exposure and the other was a squirming handful of pinkish skin, chilled to the core, barely alive. A breeding pair of Vietnamese potbellied pigs—a squatter, denser variety of your standard barnyard porker—had taken up residence on Roland’s land years before; this was not the first time he had come across such gifts. But in this case he had to intervene, sure that the surviving baby would die from cold or hunger, or wouldbe snatched up by foxes before morning. He tucked it under his sweater and brought it to the house he shared with Katjinga the Rhode-sian ridgeback.
    The piglet became little Paulinchen, and Roland decided to hand her off to his dog, who had recently weaned her own litter of pups. It was a good move. Katjinga gave the piglet the soft-puppy treatment, keeping her clean and warm. The pig clearly felt right at home, even trying to nurse—though the dog was no longer producing milk. (Roland and his family took care of feedings.)
    A few days later, with pig and hound getting along like mother and son, Roland discovered Paulinchen’s birth mother with the rest of her litter, all healthy. He thanked Katjinga for her service and returned the lost baby to the pig family, which eagerly accepted her.
    Though the piglet bonded with Katjinga only briefly, it was at a crucial time for the newborn. Back in the porcine life, Paulinchen was a little different from her siblings—a bit tamer and more at ease with other animals. “She knows us and knows Katjinga,” Roland says. “When we see the pigs running around and we call to them, Paulinchen will put her head up and look.” Sometimes she and Katjinga have a quick nuzzle when the pigs come around sniffing out a meal.
    Roland attributes Katjinga’s sweet nature to good training (ridgebacks need a lot of socialization) and to the special atmosphere in which they all live. “It is a peaceful area, mostly woodlands,” he says. “When there are hunters around, our farm is like a safe haven where animals come together.”

{M ISSOURI, U.S.A., 2009}

The
Rabbit
and the
Guinea Pig

    GUINEA PIG

KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Rodentia
FAMILY: caviidae
GENUS:
Cavia

SPECIES:
C. porcellus

    RABBIT

KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: