Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
If You Think The World Is Terrible, These 50 Animal Friendships Might Change Your Mind
Have we got a treat for you, dear Pandas! We know that many of you are huge fans of cuteness, so Bored Panda has taken the time to collect some of the most magical photos of animal friendship to warm up your hearts. From best buds of the same species to unexpected friendships blossoming between members of different kinds, you’re about to see that love, respect, and the desire to have fun can transcend appearances and genes.
As you scroll down, remember to upvote your favorite pics, and be sure to share this list with anyone who you think is in need of some cheering up. Got any photos of your pets getting along? Share ‘em in the comment section. (Pssst—we’ve got some more adorable animal friendship posts for you to lose yourself in right here, here, and here.)
Arizona Humane Society's Pet Behavior and Pet Training Manager Jenny Dagnino told Bored Panda that social relationships between animals of different species are common. Read on for more of Dagnino's insights.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Pelican Befriended A Stray Dog Who Was Often Spotted Hanging Out All Alone Along The Boat Docks. The Man Who Photographed This Has Adopted Him But Brings Him Back Every Day To See His Friend, Petey The Pelican
RELATED:
#2
Bubbles The African Elephant And Bella The Black Labrador
#3
Friendship Goals
AHS' Pet Behavior and Pet Training Manager Dagnino said that pets like dogs and cats are social animals and usually prefer the company of other animals and people. "It is safe to assume that animals who do have social relationships with other species likely had exposure to them during an early stage in their development, or had interactions over a long period of time that were positive for them," she said.
"At the Arizona Humane Society, we have opportunities to pair animals of the same species (dogs with dogs, cats with cats) to provide some more social interaction, and sometimes it can provide a shy animal some comfort," Dagnino explained.
What's more, the AHS team can provide adopters with some tips for pet adopters to help introduce new rescue animals to their new forever homes in a way that's safe and comfortable for all the pets involved. You can find some helpful tips and tricks right here.
#4
Family Isn't Always Blood
#5
Cheetah And Doggo Stayed Best Friends From The Start!
#6
Friendship Goals
Dagnino confirmed to Bored Panda that cats and dogs can get along together and even show affection toward each other. "But their ability or inclination to do this is affected by both animals’ experiences in early development and maintained by positive or negative experiences during their lifetime, even genetics," she warned.
Mutually beneficial friendships between different species can occur naturally (like badgers hunting together with foxes or coyotes), but some close bonds blossomed because of us—human beings.
Humans domesticating animals has created the foundation for some interspecies cooperation and friendships that otherwise would most likely never have come about. So you can see friendships blossoming between animals that live with or near humans. Ever been to a farm or a zoo? You’ll know what we mean, then.
#7
Friendship Through The Toughest Of Times
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
Poor Pup. Healing is always easier when you have a friend to help you get through it.
#8
Little And Large
#9
Best Buddies
That’s not to say that cats and dogs will suddenly become best amigos, but it does mean they’re more likely to get along (or at least tolerate one another) because they’re constantly around each other.
Animals of different species communicate with each other both verbally and non-verbally. Just like we can try and interpret what a dog is telling us, a dog can try understanding what its duck/cat/cheetah buddy is trying to say. Meanwhile, some species of monkeys have been known to communicate with one another by sounding alarm calls whenever danger is near. However, bonds aren’t always purely utilitarian.
The basis for friendship can be pretty much anything, but one of the most common ways it starts is through having fun. When animals play together, they get closer, and can become friends, eventually. It’s not that different for human beings!
#10
These Best Friends. Even The Look In His Eyes Is Adorable
#11
Comforting A Friend
#12
Our Neighbor Sent Me This Adorable Display Of Pure Joy Between Our Dogs. They Finally Got Him A Stool So He Could Greet His Big Friend Properly
#13
Meet Herman, The Flightless Pigeon And His Best Friend Lundy, The Chihuahua Who Can’t Walk
#14
Give Us Back Our Friend
#15
Today, At Doggy Daycare, My Dog Made A New Best Friend!
#16
Baby Elephant And Ostrich's Friendship
#17
Anjana The Chimpanzee And Tiger Cubs
#18
Unexpected Friendships Are The Best Ones
#19
Buddies
#20
The Start Of An Awwesome Friendship!
#21
Friendship Between A Horse And Husky
#23
My Friend's Cat And Rat Are Best Buddies
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
Looks like they met as babies. It must have been buddies at first site.
#24
Rescue Fox And A Bulldog Become Inseparable And Form A Real-Life “The Fox And The Hound” Friendship
#25
My Girlfriends Horse Got A New Friend
#26
"A Rare Friendship Developed Between A Gray Wolf And Brown Bear"
#27
Ingo The Dog And His Owl Friend
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
The sweet gentle giant with that small bird make a good pair of friends.
#28
My Aunts Goat Thinks It's A Dog. It Wont Associate With The Other Goats And Only Hangs Out With The Dogs
#29
Friendship Is A Very Beautiful Thing
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
Those gentle paws, and that loving look, are truly a beautiful thing.
#30
You’ve Got A Friend In Me
#31
Best Friends
#32
Cat And Fox Are Best Friends
#33
Now This Was An Unexpected Friendship
#34
Meet Mickey And John, They're Best Friends
#35
Dog And Raccoon Friendship
#36
I Went To The Shelter To Adopt A Dog, And I Found Those Two In This Posture, I Couldn't Separate Them So I End Up Adopting Both Of Them
#37
Unusual Friendship
#38
Tinni The Dog And Sniffer The Wild Fox
#39
Golden Retriever And An Abandoned Kitty
#40
Making New Friends
#41
Doggo & Cow Friendship
#42
Dog And Newly Rescued Calf Who Are Best Friends At The Gentle Barn
#43
Mani The Wild Boar Piglet And Candy The Dog
#44
Dog And Crow Are Best Friends
#45
Welcome To This Beautiful, Unlikely Friendship.
#46
These Horses Always Come For A Kiss Whenever We Walk Past
#47
We Adopted A New Cat Not Knowing They’d Become Inseparable
#48
Torque The Dog And Shrek The Owl
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Raine Soo 4 years ago (edited)
Animal friendships make me incredibly happy. They don't see differences. They sense a kindred spirit. It's probably no wonder that I think animals are more enlightened than the human species. These photos are very touching. Thank you.
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
This makes me sad about humans. Why are you discriminating against something as arbitrary as skin color? You’re both humans. If a dog and a cheetah, a coyote and a bear, and a cat and a couple of roos can be friends, why can’t a white person and black person be friends too?
CamlikesCookies 4 years ago
These remind me of my late dog. We lived in Virginia and he was 15, blind, and deaf. We let him out back (fenced) and came back later. There were 4-5 deer in our yard and he was just laying 5 feet from them. He was oblivious to their existence, but its still a sweet memory :)
Ezigma 4 years ago
2 things this taught us is; 1: Animals don't discriminate and will love who they love! And 2: apparently foxes and cats are more loving animals than we thought!!
Lunar Owo Potato 4 years ago
This was very heart warming especially because I got in a really big argument this just makes everything better. I also have a story to tell I had went to the orchard and I saw a blind turkey in a cage that said "Back away this animal may bite" I thought it was harmless and didn't deserve to be alone as well and be told it was dangerous
ADHORTATOR 4 years ago
my family in law had a huge english mastiff and they adopted a black kitten. the kitten thought to be a dog, it slept on the mastiffs back and chased other cats with him...
Oskar vanZandt 4 years ago
I really like that the animals instinctively care for the other... as if they find comfort in each others' company.
Human #1,232,867 4 years ago
So my cat is not really loving me.. it could be any other species...(Cry)
Bianca Roxas 4 years ago
The truth is the world is full of both horribly terribly things and wonderfully heartwarming things. Though while I admit it takes time to practice it, we can choose to focus and count on what we prefer to look on more.
Melchiorre Perico 4 years ago
atteggiamenti naturali dobbiamo imparare a scoprire la vera amicizia loro ci riescono
Diana Hansen 4 years ago
the animals are smarter than we are. they know true friendship is without boundary's
Marie deHeryng 4 years ago
LOVE LOVE LOVE and MORE LOVE!! So much LOVE in these photos! The smiling little faces and kisses and hugs between all animals are the sweetest ever. My heart just sings when I see these darling faces. No one does LOVE better than sweet darling animals of all kinds!!
Raine Soo 4 years ago (edited)
Animal friendships make me incredibly happy. They don't see differences. They sense a kindred spirit. It's probably no wonder that I think animals are more enlightened than the human species. These photos are very touching. Thank you.
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
This makes me sad about humans. Why are you discriminating against something as arbitrary as skin color? You’re both humans. If a dog and a cheetah, a coyote and a bear, and a cat and a couple of roos can be friends, why can’t a white person and black person be friends too?
CamlikesCookies 4 years ago
These remind me of my late dog. We lived in Virginia and he was 15, blind, and deaf. We let him out back (fenced) and came back later. There were 4-5 deer in our yard and he was just laying 5 feet from them. He was oblivious to their existence, but its still a sweet memory :)
Ezigma 4 years ago
2 things this taught us is; 1: Animals don't discriminate and will love who they love! And 2: apparently foxes and cats are more loving animals than we thought!!
Lunar Owo Potato 4 years ago
This was very heart warming especially because I got in a really big argument this just makes everything better. I also have a story to tell I had went to the orchard and I saw a blind turkey in a cage that said "Back away this animal may bite" I thought it was harmless and didn't deserve to be alone as well and be told it was dangerous
ADHORTATOR 4 years ago
my family in law had a huge english mastiff and they adopted a black kitten. the kitten thought to be a dog, it slept on the mastiffs back and chased other cats with him...
Oskar vanZandt 4 years ago
I really like that the animals instinctively care for the other... as if they find comfort in each others' company.
Human #1,232,867 4 years ago
So my cat is not really loving me.. it could be any other species...(Cry)
Bianca Roxas 4 years ago
The truth is the world is full of both horribly terribly things and wonderfully heartwarming things. Though while I admit it takes time to practice it, we can choose to focus and count on what we prefer to look on more.
Melchiorre Perico 4 years ago
atteggiamenti naturali dobbiamo imparare a scoprire la vera amicizia loro ci riescono
Diana Hansen 4 years ago
the animals are smarter than we are. they know true friendship is without boundary's
Marie deHeryng 4 years ago
LOVE LOVE LOVE and MORE LOVE!! So much LOVE in these photos! The smiling little faces and kisses and hugs between all animals are the sweetest ever. My heart just sings when I see these darling faces. No one does LOVE better than sweet darling animals of all kinds!!
You May Like 97 Photos Of Animal Friendships To Give You The "Heart Eyes" Meet Sphynx Cats - The Most Adorable Hairless Felines 40 Adorable Cows That Might Uplift Your Moo-d
Larysa Perih
Akvile Petraityte 🇺🇦
Linas Simonaitis
Related on Bored Panda
