Winnie, a dog with paralyzed legs, was abandoned by his family and ended up at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm in the United States. In addition to the paralyzed paws, the puppy was found to have chest deformities, but despite that, the little guy was friendly and adorable.

“The main problem right now is I have to limit what he does because he is at high risk of something happening,” Lauren Edwards of Charlotte’s Freedom Farm told The Dodo.

He was playing with the other dogs at the shelter, but soon the staff became concerned because the others were playing too harshly and could hurt him. At the same time, a little piglet named Wilma was brought into the shelter. She was rescued from a difficult fate when she was all alone.

“She is sweet, but, oh man, she’s sassy,” Edwards said. “If you pick her up, she screams so loud I’m sure they can hear her a street over. She figured out how to jump up on the couch and loves doing that.”

Winnie and Wilma were placed in the same room and on their first day the two miraculously hit it off. Charming but a little cranky, Wilma found her joy in playing with her canine friend. They began to play at once, and from that day on they were never parted.

“They met right when she came actually and were playing within minutes,” Edwards said. “They see each other and instantly go into play mode — it’s quite cute.They hang outside as well, but she’s very focused on rooting around for insects. He just sits and hangs out and watches her when they’re outside.”

Such different little guys became best friends unexpectedly. They do everything together, and little Winnie is even more comfortable playing with Wilma than with other dogs. They also love to play together on the street lawn, where they can run around for hours.
The two have helped each other. The dog helped Wilma get used to her new surroundings and feel safe, and the piggy helped Winnie believe in herself and become more confident. Such a strong friendship!

“He definitely helped her feel more comfortable coming here,” Edwards said. “She’s still being quarantined from the other pigs (just protocol — for safety), so she gets a good friend this way and isn’t lonely. And he lost his dog sister playtime … so this way he still has a play buddy. It works out for both of them!”