When you're asked to think of an iconic duo, odd animal pairings rarely come to mind. However, one cat and dog duo from Colorado are breaking the mold by having their adorable friendship broadcast on Instagram.
In 2014, adventure enthusiast Cynthia Bennett and her boyfriend first adopted their dog Henry - a Shepherd, Husky, Boxer, Aussie, and Staffordshire Terrier mix - after instantly falling in love with him at their local animal shelter.
"He just curled up into my lap and went belly up and flipped his head over my arm," Bennett told the dodo. "And from then, I decided that he was coming home with us."
It wasn't long until the couple took Henry out hiking, a pastime the dog quickly took a liking to.
"I think we only had him for three days when we took him on our first hike, which was to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs," Bennett said. "He found the steepest, tallest rock around, and he ran up to the top of it to look over the edge."
"We call him our little mountain goat. He scares us to death, because he goes up to the highest cliff or the highest rock to climb up and look over it," she added.
A few months later, Bennett and her boyfriend decided to expand their family by adding a feline into the mix. They wanted a rescue cat who they could also take on camping and hiking adventures.
The couple went to the shelter and adopted a Siamese kitten mix named Baloo, who took an immediate liking for his surrogate big brother.
"I call them brothers but I think Baloo thinks that Henry's his mum because he constantly looks for a teet. He'll go in and you can tell he's looking because he's nuzzling under Henry's armpit," Bennett said.
When Bennett started noticing Baloo's despair every time Henry left to go on an adventure, she decided to see if she would be able to bring her cat along.
"He's definitely not the kind of cat we can leave home alone on the weekend anymore," she said. "I think he thinks he's more a dog than anything."
Bennett began taking pictures of her pets on their family adventures, and folks on the internet can't get enough of them.
But how couldn't you? They're adorable!
Are your pets best friends? Let us know!
