Life
8 Interspecies Animal Couples That Make Us Believe in Love
Depending on your mood or which romantic comedy your life currently resembles, Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity to eat out, drink in, or spend your evening in pious adoration of Saint Valentine (like Elisa and Jack on 30 Rock ). Whichever way your Valentine’s plays out, here're guaranteed sources of joy: cute pictures of lovey moments between animals. Yes, that’s right. Hens hanging with puppies, bunnies and kitties layin' low, a pig gettin' TLC from a boxer — there’s no more surefire way to revive your belief in the warm glory of L-O-V-E. Take an adoring look at these eight examples of interspecies love — and if you're jonesing for more, check out Lisa Rogak's photo book One Big Happy Family (St. Martin's), which features 50 stories of species loving other species.
Rocky the Great Dane and His Doe, Cindy
Cindy, a rescued baby deer at the Secret World Animal Rescue Centre in Somerset, is considered next-of-kin to Rocky, a pet of a staff member. Don’t worry: affectionate crying is totally permitted.
Image: Lisa Rogak
Tabitha the Piglet and Susie the Boxer
Listen to this: Tabitha was rescued from the roadside by the Valentine (!!!) family. After she was nursed back to health, she and Susie took together like…well, like a dog and a pig. Watch their adorable antics here. Eeee! Are those my squeals, or the pig’s?
Image: Lisa Rogak
The Bunny and the Kitties
What a world!!!!! Summer, a rabbit, played mom to six new little kittens. I just. You guys.
Image: Lisa Rogak
The Springer Spaniel and His Lamb
This picture could stop wars. Jess the spaniel’s owner taught the dog to feed lambs with a bottle, and now the dog has totally taken over lamb-feeding duties. World peace!
Image: Lisa Rogak
Mabel the Hen and her Rottweiler Puppies
Mabel’s not appre-hen-sive, one could say, about cuddling with little puppies.
Image: Lisa Rogak
Koneko the Akita and Sam the Lion Cub
A Scottish zoo paired these two together in 1998 to see how things would go. And as fate would have it, they became inseparable. Cue the “Aww”s.
Image: Lisa Rogak
This Puppy and His Hippo Pal
Unlikely pals, sure, but aren’t those the best kind? Lisha, a labrador retriever in South Africa, was a maternal figure to this orphaned pygymy hippo.
Image: Lisa Rogak
This Cow and Her Little Lambies
When these lambs’ mom couldn’t nurse, the brown cow on a New Zealand farm took over. A-moo-zing!
Image: Lisa Rogak
