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

Sharon. “As her way of affection, she started licking Bramble’s beak. From that day on, it became a daily ritual.”
    Bramble was given a cozy crate in the sitting room of the house. But whenever Sophi was close by, the bird would flap and dance around until she was let out to join the dog for a cleaning or cuddling session. “And if Sophi wasn’t there, Bramble would go look for her,” says Sharon. “The kissing-licking thing was a two-way street: Bramble would ‘beak’ Sophi in return for Sophi’s kisses.”
    In the evening, sometimes bird and dog would spoon on the carpet and fall asleep. “Bramble wouldn’t go back into her crate until we all went to bed.”
    Once Bramble was older and less fragile, she was introduced into the aviary so she could fly around. But Sharon says the owl swoops down regularly to spend time with Sophi, always in the mood for a mutual grooming, bird–dog style.

{E NGLAND , 2008}

The
Owelet
and the
Greyhound

    GREYHOUND
The fastest—and
oldest—of all breeds, the
greyhound is a sweet,
good-natured dog that is
most associated with
the sport of dog
racing.

    LONG-EARED OWL
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Strigiformes
FAMILY: Strigidae
GENUS:
Asio

SPECIES:
Asiootus
    What strange scenario is this? It begins normally enough, with a dog lounging on a sofa. But look again: There’s an owl perched between his paws. Oh, and they’re both watching TV.
    That’s Torque the greyhound and his little buddy Shrek, a baby female long-eared owl that the pup took under his paw soon after the bird hatched at the Ringwood Raptor Center in Hampshire’s New Forest, in the United Kingdom.
    When the owl first hatched, Torque became excited and wanted to sniff the new arrival. “I had taken Shrek the owlet out of the incubator, and then comes this big nose into my hand,” recalls John Picton, head falconer and Torque’s owner. “That wasfollowed by a big old tongue to say hello. It was quite funny.”
    In some bird species, a parent bird may kill one of its young to give the other a better chance at survival. To protect Shrek from infanticide, the owlet wasn’t placed back with its mother after hatching. Instead, John took the tiny knot of feathers home to care for her there. As the chick became steadier on her feet, John let Torque and the little bird get better acquainted. First, he’d feed Shrek her meals of marsh rats and quail in the same room where Torque was eating, then he’d hold the bird out so Torque could get a look and a sniff. Torque would lick the bird, and the bird would give the dog a gentle peck on the nose. Eventually, “they were bounding through the house together, really enjoying each other.” In a comical game, Shrek stood still until Torque wandered by and then pounced on him. The two cuddled on the couch, seeming entranced by
East Enders
and
Coronation Street
, among other favorite shows. They’d hang around outside like loving siblings, with Torque standing guard over the feathered youngster or following her as she toddled across the grass.
    As Shrek’s legs got stronger from roaming with Torque, she soon realized she had another set of limbs to stretch. And once she found her wings, Shrek began to explore a world where Torque couldn’t follow. The owl was placed in an aviary at the raptor center with other birds, and Torque continued his life on the ground, a little lonelier than before. But whenever Torque trotted past the birds’ house, “there would be a very nice hoot from inside, Shrek to Torque,” says John. It seemed dog and bird remained friends—even from afar.

{W ASHINGTON, U.S.A., 2005}

The
Papillon
and the
Squirrel

    PAPILLON

The papillon’s origins can be traced back to 16th century French courts, where it was bred as a companion dog. Because of its winglike ears, it was given the French name for