Herman, a flightless pigeon, and Lundy, a Chihuahua with mobility challenges, have become best friends at a nonprofit sanctuary specializing in animals born with defects in Hilton, N.Y.
After noticing Lundy struggling to move his back legs due to spinal damage, a North Carolina breeder brought him to the Mia Foundation last month, where Herman, who was most likely rendered incapable of flying by a brain injury or virus, is a permanent resident.
It was friendship at first sight between the pigeon and Chihuahua. They quickly warmed up to one another and were soon inseparable, spending much of their time snuggling up together on their shared blanket.
“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,” rescue co-founder Sue Rogers told DailyMail. “They started interacting immediately in a very cute way.”
Rogers, who established the Mia Foundation with her husband, Gary, is shocked by the unlikely duo’s worldwide fame, which started with a photo posted on the rescue’s Facebook page that went viral.
“They just looked really cute together,” Rogers told WHEC, “So I took some pictures and posted them to Facebook, and the next morning it was crazy.”
If all goes according to plan, Lundy will be fitted with a custom wheelchair and adopted into a loving forever home. Until then, the inter-species pair are taking advantage of every moment they have together.
