Such is definitely the case with Herman the pigeon and Lundy the Chihuahua. The two animals have mobility ɪssᴜᴇs, pigeon Herman that ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ fly and puppy Lundy the Chihuahua that ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ walk have become inseparable after they were both ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ.
Lundy the two-month-old Chihuahua puppy arrived at The Mia Foundation in New York January 2020. He came from a North Carolina breeder who had noticed the small dog had ɪssᴜᴇs walking, which are likеly linked to sᴘɪɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ. The dog was quick to become friends with one of the ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ’s oldest residents, pigeon Herman, who ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ fly. Ever since first crossing paths on a dog bed at the sʜᴇʟᴛᴇʀ, the two have been inseparable, sharing cuddles and forming the most precious bond. Sue Rogers, founder of The Mia Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that helps animals with ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴅᴇꜰᴇᴄᴛs. She said:” 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. They started interacting immediately in a very cute way.”
Lundy was brought into the ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ centre by a North Carolina breeder who noticed the puppy was sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ to walk. Sue said she now wonders whether Herman is actually a ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ pigeon because of the way she mothers the puppy. Whilst Herman is a permanent resident at The Mia Foundation, Sue’s goal is to fix Lundy’s ᴍᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ɪssᴜᴇ with the help of a wheelchair and find an adơрtive family for him. Sue added: ” Lundy weighs only one pound now, so we will have to wait for the chair.”
The Mia Foundation launched back in 2012 as a way for its founder, Sue Rogers, to honor her ʟᴀᴛᴇ dog Mia, who was born with a ᴄʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴘᴀʟᴀᴛᴇ. Lundy and Herman are just two of the more than 1,000 animals Sue has ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ through the years, and she hopes to have 8-week-old Lundy adơрted once she figures out a solution for his ɪɴᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ to walk. Finding Lundy a forever home shouldn’t be too difficult now, seeing as his sweet friendship with Herman went viral on Facebook after Sue sharеd a few snaps of the duo hanging out. Sue said:” It’s amazing, when people from all over the world fall in love with their new found friendship. I was surprised when my post went viral instantly – with tens of thousands of likеs, sharеs and Comments From a simple photo of a pigeon and a puppy being sharеd we raised over $6,000 I never imagined photos of Lundy and Herman will move a lot of people! Almost 5 million people in a little over 24 hours!!” That’s enough to cover the premium costs many of her ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ animals require, and for a nonprofit that runs solely on dơnatiоns and volunteers, that’s quite a feat great.
Despite the difficulties Herman and Lundy are ꜰᴀᴄɪɴɢ in life, they have developed a loving relationship that truly shows the depth of the bond between different animals. Most importantly, their friendship shows best how important their work is at the Mia Foundation, and their desire to get a second chance at life is something we all would love to do grateful and proud.