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Meet Henry, a Husky/Shepherd mix, and Baloo, a cat, whose unlikely bond has the whole internet swooning, with their outdoorsy adventures racking up over two million Instagram followers. When Denver-based photographer Cynthia Bennett and her partner Andre Sibilsky first fostered Baloo back in 2017, they worried the two-month-old kitten — a Siamese/Tabby/Norwegian Forest Cat mix — and their dog would clash. True, the three-year-old Staffordshire/Boxer/Heeler/Husky/Shepherd was 'the strongest, most loyal, most caring dog I've ever known,' Bennett says, 'but Henry had zero experience with cats.'
Henry and Baloo / photo by Cynthia Bennett
Turns out all that worry was wasted. 'Their first meeting floored us,' says Bennett. 'The second Baloo spotted Henry, he bolted over and started scaling him. Henry had no clue what this tiny creature was, but he was fine with it.' Baloo, abandoned by his mother along with the rest of the litter, 'decided instantly that Henry was his mom,' Bennett laughs. 'Every day they inched closer until they were glued together. Henry really latched on during a car-camping trip in Telluride, CO, about two weeks after we got Baloo. That first camping morning, when Henry saw Baloo was still around, he lost it with excitement. We think he was overjoyed that his home buddy was going to be his adventure buddy. After that, Henry took to Baloo just as fast as Baloo had taken to him.'
Henry and Baloo / photo by Cynthia Bennett
Bennett had been posting Henry's escapades to 30,000 followers on @henrythecoloradodog for around a year, but it was sharing their bond — forged on treks across the western US — that made the account explode, passing one million followers within twelve months. Today it sits at 2.3 million and has spawned Bennett's coffee-table book, Our Wild Tails: The Adventures of Henry & Baloo, a shop of the same name, and the Henry & Baloo Foundation, a nonprofit championing land and wildlife protection.
Cross-species friendships — especially between animals wired to fear each other — rarely happen in the wild, says Dr. Stanley Coren, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of How to Speak Dog, How Dogs Think, and The Intelligence of Dogs. 'But in captivity, under controlled conditions, if animals meet when they're young enough, such bonds are far from unheard of.'
'The way Baloo grieved Henry was gutting,' says Bennett. 'He'd race window to window, calling for him, screaming.'
Dogs bonding with cats is the most common combo, Coren notes. 'Surveys show about one in seven dog households also has a cat,' he says. 'The data suggests that in over 80 percent of those homes, there's little conflict.'
Another all-star duo: Winston, a German Shepherd/Lab cross, and his feline pal Nox. Winston is a general farm dog charged with protecting the turkeys, chickens, and sheep at Whatley Acres in Newmarket, ON, and he bonded with Nox as a puppy. 'Winston, big breed though he is, was scared of almost everything as a young dog,' says guardian Lara Whatley. 'I remember him wobbling over to Nox, tail wagging with all that puppy chaos, and Nox just… accepted it. He rubbed his cheek on Winston, and that did it — Winston's tail spun like a helicopter. Even today they're inseparable and do their farm rounds together.'
Henry and Baloo / photo by Cynthia Bennett
Bennett looks back on her pets' early days with the same delight. 'We never dreamed they'd love each other the way they did,' she says. 'They played, slept, ate, and hiked side by side and hung out watching the world out the window. They were almost never apart, and doing everything together only made their bond deeper.'
When Henry passed from T-cell lymphoma in March 2022, 'Baloo ran from window to window looking for him while screaming,' says Bennett. 'When he wasn't doing that, he'd bury himself under things until we could barely find him. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever had to witness.'
Pan and Baloo / photo by Cynthia Bennett
Two weeks after losing Henry, the family adopted Pan, a Husky/Malamute/Great Pyrenees mix, as a companion for Baloo, who'd completely stopped eating. ('We got to the point of considering medical help,' Bennett admits.) 'We like to say Baloo picked his puppy. He met a few, and Pan ran up and licked his face, and Baloo leaned into him. Baloo had never done that with any dog but Henry, so we knew he was smitten.' Adoption done, they took the pair back to their hotel, where — to their enormous relief — Baloo finally ate. 'Andre and I burst into tears, because Pan was literally saving Baloo,' Bennett says. They're best friends now, though she's quick to say it's a different kind of bond.
'Henry was Baloo's mom, his caretaker,' she explains, 'while Pan is his bestie. Baloo even has a special trill he uses to call Pan in to play. Pan's shy and submissive, so Baloo looks out for him. It's almost a complete role reversal from Henry and Baloo.'
Animal friendship is healthy as long as aggression isn't on the table, Coren says, 'or any chance that the bigger half might accidentally hurt the smaller one — especially during rough play.'
But it absolutely can work. Just ask Isolde Mattart, whose Saint Bernard, Julie, and her bottle-raised goat, Hans, went big after The Dodo covered their friendship — and the Belgian media hasn't let it go since.
Julie, a Saint Bernard now 11, 'is the textbook gentle giant — naturally kind-hearted, tolerant, and calm,' says Mattart, a business banker in Damme, Belgium. 'She gravitates to every animal, and they gravitate right back.' To Hans, orphaned at birth, she's practically a mother. The two cuddle and sleep together, and Hans 'does parkour' across Julie's back.
Dave & Boop Boop / photo by Laura Ingall
Animal trainer Laura Ingall's pets all get along — and it's not an act. Dave, a Great Dane, and Boop Boop, a two-year-old male Macaw, share a special bond, though it wasn't love at first sight. 'Boop, if you let him, is a real bully,' says Ingall, a Hampshire-based director at Pets on Set with credits including Apple TV's Bad Sisters and Netflix's Anatomy of a Scandal. 'He chased poor Dave around, who was pretty terrified at first.' These days they're pals. 'Boop likes to give Dave mani-pedis and clean his teeth. Dave just lies there and takes it.'
Vendetta & Lemony / photo by Natacha Tamenne
Almost any animals can be trained to coexist, Ingall says. 'It's all about proper introductions, done gently and with real knowledge of the species involved. Body language is everything, and reading when an animal is stressed, overexcited, or worried is key.' Clear ground rules matter. 'No bullying, no staring, no chasing, no stalking… calm behavior all around is essential,' she says. 'That keeps everyone safe so they can relax knowing where they stand.'
Vendetta & Lemony / photo by Natacha Tamenne
Natacha Tamenne never expected her German Shepherd Vendetta to click with Lemony, an Indian runner duck, when she adopted the duck in 2018. 'It seems like an odd pairing, since ducks and dogs are biologically worlds apart,' says the Villemer, France resident, who's since found like-minded buddies worldwide. After a trip to the river — where both discovered a shared love of water — the two became a bonded pair, with Vendetta fiercely protective.
Vendetta & Lemony / photo by Natacha Tamenne
'No dog, or anything that seems like a threat, can get near her duck,' Tamenne says of Vendetta. As for Lemony, the duck won't go anywhere without her dog.
'Reading when an animal is stressed, overexcited, or worried is key.'
More recently Tamenne added two rescued pigeons, Grisella and Heldig, to the crew. 'They tag along on our daily walks, on trips, and when we just lounge on the couch,' she says. 'They bathe in the river with Lemony, then nap perched right on Vendetta.'
Whatever the species, these cross-species friendships teach people something important. 'They give us the feeling that peace is possible among people of different backgrounds and beliefs,' says Coren.
Bennett was heartened to find that, after the grief over Henry, the internet has embraced Pan. And Baloo hasn't forgotten his first love. 'We still have Henry's blanket and teddy bear that Pan doesn't get to touch, so when Baloo misses Henry, he can go snuggle "him" and his scent,' says Bennett, who's at work on a second book, Pan + Baloo (& Henry too), honoring the friendships and the lessons in love they offer. 'It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside,' she says. 'What matters is who you are inside.'
London-based stunt-dog trainer Melissa Millett says every animal introduction should be positive for both sides. 'I'm firmly against letting animals just "sort it out,"' says the Ultimutts owner, who trains dogs at In Dogs We Trust and stars as a motion-picture animal trainer with Hollywoof Stars.
For dogs and cats, Millett advises keeping dogs leashed around cats so chasing is impossible — for however long it takes. Intense staring can spook a cat, she warns. Keep sessions short and supervised, with treats for the whole cast. 'Crate and rotate until they're neutral in each other's space. It can really foster a good relationship.' Millett's own Boston Terrier Lollipop and Bengal cat Sashimi prove the formula, even taking their bond — and a scooter act — to America's Got Talent.
Dogs vs. wild animals? 'I wouldn't leave them together unattended, ever,' Millett says. 'Get very good at reading body language so you never miss worrying predatory signals.'
This story first appeared in the award-winning Modern Dog magazine. Subscribe today!
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