An unlikely friendship developed between a pigeon and a puppy when they met in a shelter – and it’s the most adorable thing you will ever see!
Herman, the pigeon, and Lundy, the 8-week-old Chihuahua, met at The Mia Foundation, a New York-based rescue dedicated to giving pets with congenital disabilities a chance at having a regular life.
“Our main goal is take in animals born with birth defects,” Sue Rogers, who founded the organization in 2012, told PEOPLE.
She added that the non-profit had helped young dogs, cats, horses, goats, turkeys, and even a donkey. But sometimes, people also bring them injured birds and squirrels.
Herman arrived at the shelter several years ago after someone found him in a car dealership sitting motionless for three days. Sue got a call about the pigeon, and she agreed to take him in.
After seeking the help of a mentor involved in wildlife rehab, they were able to bring back the bird’s strength.
However, Herman never regained the ability to fly, and their theory is that it was caused by the West Nile Virus or a brain injury. With that, the pigeon became a permanent resident at The Mia Foundation. Because he couldn’t fly anymore, Sue committed to regularly taking him out to see the outdoors.
When he was just four weeks old, a breeder from South Carolina surrendered a 4-week-old Lundy to the shelter. He had just learned how to walk and suddenly stopped pawing around.
The breeder couldn’t take care of a dog with special needs, so he called Sue to see if she would take him in. She agreed and sent someone to pick up the puppy and bring him to New York.
Since then, a beautiful friendship has blossomed between the pigeon and the puppy.
“I set Herman on a dog bed and started caring for Lundy, and I decided to carefully put Lundy in the same dog bed next to him,” Sue said of how the strange yet adorable friendship started.
She was unsure of how they would respond to being placed so close to each other, so she kept a close watch. Amazingly, none of them reacted with protest. Instead, they started cuddling!
“The way they interacted was so cute,” Sue recalled. She observed that Herman exhibits a few maternal behaviors when he is with Lundy, so she isn’t sure now if the bird is a “he.”
The founder couldn’t help but take pictures of the duo’s adorable moments. She shared the photos on Facebook, and it quickly went viral, amassing 45,000 shares and 21,000 reactions at the time of writing.
While Herman will remain a permanent resident at The Mia Foundation, Sue hopes to find a loving family for Lundy. She believes that the source of his immobility issues might be related to spinal cord damage, which meant that he needed to be fitted with a wheelchair to help him get around.
Once Sue has learned enough about Lundy’s condition and has set him up with a care plan for the future, she will put the puppy out for adoption.
Though it would be bittersweet once Lundy leaves the shelter to be with his new family, it is comforting to know that these two friends are having the best time while they are still together! Watch their heartwarming interaction below.
Visit The Mia Foundation’s website to learn more about how you can help the animals under their care.
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