There's a persistent stereotype that cats and dogs don't get along — that they're total opposites and can only live together in peace under very specific (and rare) circumstances.
Generally, people think that cats are solitary creatures who would be bothered by canines and all but a select few humans. On the flip side, many animal lovers consider dogs to be man's best friend.
Apparently, nobody gave D.O.G. that memo.
D.O.G. is a kitten who thinks he's one of the dogs — his name wasn't given ironically! The black-and-white cat is around puppies all day long. In fact, he's pretty much the boss of them, working with trainers at Support Dogs, Inc., to help train his canine "roommates" for their future careers as service animals.
Scroll through to learn all about D.O.G. and his work at Support Dogs, Inc.!
Thumbnail Photo: Support Dogs, Inc.
[H/T: PEOPLE]
Support Dogs, Inc., is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization that trains highly skilled service dogs and provides them to individuals with disabilities.
Over the summer, followers of their Facebook page noticed a new furry friend appearing in their posts more frequently — a little black-and-white cat the employees had dubbed "D.O.G." (pronounced "dee-OH-gee").
In a press release provided to LittleThings, Support Dogs, Inc., explains how D.O.G. came to join their family:
We got D.O.G. at the end of June — we thought he was 7 weeks old.
We've never had a cat before.
We thought about getting a cat, but we had no idea it would turn out this wonderfully. D.O.G. has become such a part of the organization and is the best training tool we could hope for. His crazy energy really challenges the service dogs.
They have to learn to sit still, not get up, not react to him, not bark. These are all important skills when they're helping people with special needs. D.O.G. trains them perfectly.
D.O.G. is so good at his job because he is absolutely fearless. He stands up to every dog and doesn’t back down. The dogs will come right up to him — most cats would run away — but he bats at their faces.
Once he's established who's "top dog," he's happy to play with them. (D.O.G. weighs 6.5 lbs and has no problem stepping up to dogs who weigh 65-70 lbs.)
We’re a dog organization that now has multiple kitty condos scattered around the office just to make one little kitty happy!
And his preferred napping spot is in a dog bed that we've placed on top of the puppy crates.
D.O.G. likes eating dog food.
He’s got two speeds: he’s either asleep or he’s playing.
According to PEOPLE, it was Support Dog, Inc.'s Director of Canine Services Nadine Wenig who found D.O.G. He had been living in a barn with a family of other feral cats.
Nadine said that D.O.G. knew she was a friend right away. He came right up to her and nuzzled her leg. The rest, as they say, is history.
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