While dogs may be man’s best friend, this doesn’t stop them from making some other close friends in the animal kingdom as well. We may not expect to see certain animal pairings together, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t sometimes form close and heartwarming friendships.Photo Credit: BoredPanda.com
Bubbles the Elephant and Bella the Lab
Take the bond between Bubbles the African elephant and Bella the black lab as an example. Both are currently residents of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, and the two can usually be seen playing the water together. Bubbles uses her trunk to throw Bella’s ball, and Bella uses Bubbles as a diving board to jump into clear water. Both of these two animals have a sad past, as Bubbles was left an orphan and rescued from Africa after both of her parents were killed by ivory poachers, and Bella was abandoned on the Myrtle Beach site by a contractor who was hired to build Bubbles a swimming pool. More pics and fun at boredpanda.com's story about this lovely odd couple. Today, the two have become fast friends, however, and spend their days playing and swimming together in the very pool that caused them to cross paths.
Tinni and Sniffer
This book is bound to be a delight for young and old. Amazing photography and story about an amazing pair of friends. Another surprising animal friendship is between Tinni the dog and Sniffer, the wild fox. The two met when Tinni was on a walk with his owner, Torgeir Berge, through a Norweigan forest. Much like the classic film, this fox and hound became the best of friends, leaping and playing through the forest together on many occasions. The two are inseparable to the extent that Tinni’s owner and his friend, writer Berit Helberg, published a book about the pair. An English-language version of the hardcover book in English available for pre-publication purchase on Amazon, in addition to the original German language book already in print about this unusual pair. Proceeds from the book's sales will go to fight against the fur trade. It was Sniffer’s involvement in Tinni’s life, Berge says, that raised his personal awareness about the fox fur trade, and caused him to take a stand against it. View LOTS of stunning photos of this unique duo having fun at the article on boredpanda.com and also visit the delightful Facebook page for Sniffer and Tinni.
Owen and Mazee (A Hippo & A Turtle!)
The website for Owen & Mzee is delightfully interactive, with links to fun and educational videos for this animal pair and many other species. Besides the many dogs who have become friends with other animals, there is another famous animal friend pairing between Owen the hippopotamus and Mzee the tortoise. When in 2004 Owen as a frightened baby hippo was separated from his family by a tsunami, it was Mzee, a 130-year-old tortoise, who befriended him. Today, the two have their own website and are the stars of various “hipposodes” that document their friendship. You can even sign up for special updates about their doings here. These animals’ friendships, spurred on by frightening events such as ivory poaching, abandonment, and tsunamis, have gone on not only to brighten the animals’ daily lives, but also to raise awareness for causes such as natural disaster relief, resistance to the fur trade, and the inhumanity of ivory poaching. In addition to making their world a little brighter, the friendships of Bubbles and Bella, Tinni and Sniffer, and Owen and Mzee have gone on to make hopefully your day, as well as our planet, a little bit of a better place as well.Happy viewing!
Take the bond between Bubbles the African elephant and Bella the black lab as an example. Both are currently residents of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, and the two can usually be seen playing the water together. Bubbles uses her trunk to throw Bella’s ball, and Bella uses Bubbles as a diving board to jump into clear water. Both of these two animals have a sad past, as Bubbles was left an orphan and rescued from Africa after both of her parents were killed by ivory poachers, and Bella was abandoned on the Myrtle Beach site by a contractor who was hired to build Bubbles a swimming pool. More pics and fun at boredpanda.com's story about this lovely odd couple. Today, the two have become fast friends, however, and spend their days playing and swimming together in the very pool that caused them to cross paths.
This book is bound to be a delight for young and old. Amazing photography and story about an amazing pair of friends. Another surprising animal friendship is between Tinni the dog and Sniffer, the wild fox. The two met when Tinni was on a walk with his owner, Torgeir Berge, through a Norweigan forest. Much like the classic film, this fox and hound became the best of friends, leaping and playing through the forest together on many occasions. The two are inseparable to the extent that Tinni’s owner and his friend, writer Berit Helberg, published a book about the pair. An English-language version of the hardcover book in English available for pre-publication purchase on Amazon, in addition to the original German language book already in print about this unusual pair. Proceeds from the book's sales will go to fight against the fur trade. It was Sniffer’s involvement in Tinni’s life, Berge says, that raised his personal awareness about the fox fur trade, and caused him to take a stand against it. View LOTS of stunning photos of this unique duo having fun at the article on boredpanda.com and also visit the delightful Facebook page for Sniffer and Tinni.
The website for Owen & Mzee is delightfully interactive, with links to fun and educational videos for this animal pair and many other species. Besides the many dogs who have become friends with other animals, there is another famous animal friend pairing between Owen the hippopotamus and Mzee the tortoise. When in 2004 Owen as a frightened baby hippo was separated from his family by a tsunami, it was Mzee, a 130-year-old tortoise, who befriended him. Today, the two have their own website and are the stars of various “hipposodes” that document their friendship. You can even sign up for special updates about their doings here. These animals’ friendships, spurred on by frightening events such as ivory poaching, abandonment, and tsunamis, have gone on not only to brighten the animals’ daily lives, but also to raise awareness for causes such as natural disaster relief, resistance to the fur trade, and the inhumanity of ivory poaching. In addition to making their world a little brighter, the friendships of Bubbles and Bella, Tinni and Sniffer, and Owen and Mzee have gone on to make hopefully your day, as well as our planet, a little bit of a better place as well. 
Happy viewing!