Friendships can bloom in the most unusual of places and feature the most unusual of characters.
This is something that’s been proven time and time again throughout the annals of history. Well, we’ve found another unlikely pairing that’s sure to leave a smile on your face: meet Herman the pigeon and Lundy, the 8-week-old special needs Chihuahua.
They found themselves on the same dog bed at New York-based The Mia Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to giving pets with birth defects a fighting chance in life.
Herman the pigeon has been a resident at The Mia Foundation for several years. He was originally found motionless at a car dealership, where he’d been sitting for three days.
Sue Rogers, who founded The Mia Foundation back in 2012, agreed to take him in and, with help from a mentor involved with wildlife rehab, was able to nurture him back to good health. Unfortunately, as a result of West Nile Virus – or else a brain injury – Herman will never fly again.
That makes the pigeon a permanent resident at The Mia Foundation. He enjoys it there, and often gets the opportunity to go outside and take in the world. That was how he first met Lundy.
At just 4 weeks old, Lundy arrived from a breeder in South Carolina. Due to the fact Lundy appeared to have special needs (he had started to learn how to walk but then suddenly stopped), the breeder called Rogers to see if she could find room for hm.
It wasn’t long before Rogers was witnessing the birth of a new friendship.
She explained: “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.”
Rogers kept a careful eye on the pair to ensure their ongoing amiability. Low and behold, they got on like a house on fire.
Not only that, but when Rogers uploaded photos of the duo to social media, they proved a massive hit there as well. On Facebook the pictures have amassed some 9,000 shares and 7,000 likes.
Rogers is hoping that Lundy may yet find his forever home. She thinks his mobility issues could be caused by spinal cord damage, meaning he will need to learn how to use a wheelchair to get around.
“He is only 17 ounces, so we will have to wait on the chair,” Rogers said.
Her vision is to work out a plan to help Lundy make progress in the future, before looking to adopt him out when the time is right. For now, though, he has a loving pigeon to nurture him and give him the sense of security he needs.
To date, The Mia Foundation has rescued and adopted out over 1,000 animals. Ten animals live with Rogers full-time – of which Herman is one – and she calls them the “Forever 10”. They travel with her to different schools as she attempts to educate children about being born different.
Well, this friendship certainly touched my heart. I can only hope Herman and Lundy continue to find happiness in one another.
Share this article to wish the foundation all the very best moving forward. Perhaps one day Lundy will find the forever home he so clearly deserves.
