Cats may be the internet’s favorite animal, but every dog has its day. And with their undying loyalty, puppy dog eyes, wagging tails, and derpy faces, what’s not to love? Sure, they’re man’s best friend, but did you know their nurturing nature extends to other animals too? From sheep to kittens to ducklings, just to name a few, dogs are all over it.
An Australian man shared with an online community that, after hearing a commotion in his yard, complete with his dogs barking, he went to investigate. Now the pics of what he discovered have gone viral, and netizens are barely surviving the cuteness.
It’s common knowledge that dogs are man’s best friend, but as it turns out, they can be pals with other animals too
Image credits: Steve Lamplough / Facebook
One Australian man heard his dogs barking outside, so he went to investigate the commotion
“It was quite amazing to see.” These are the words Australian man Steve Lamplough had to say after he discovered the most unlikely friendship in his yard: a baby koala clutching to the back of his golden retriever, Denni, like a jockey riding a horse. In his Facebook post, Lamplough, who lives in southwest Victoria, gives netizens suffering from cuteness-overload a bit of context.
Apparently, he’d heard a commotion in his yard, and since his dogs were barking, he decided to go and find out what was going on. “Denni came running up to me with this on her back,” he reveals in the pics,”Both as happy as Larry.”
Image credits: Simone Dinoia / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Much to his amusement, he found one of his golden retriever pups giving a piggyback ride to a baby koala
In Lamplough’s photos, Denni can only be described as thrilled, while the fluffy koala hugs the back of her neck from behind. The joey seems to think it’s no big deal to be on the back of a large golden, either, and seems pretty comfy gripping the doggo.
While he did find the whole thing pretty funny, Lamplough decided the best thing to do was to gently remove the baby koala from Denni’s back, place it in a nearby tree, and hope its mother would find it later.
Image credits: Steve Lamplough / Facebook
In his post, Lamplough emphasized to readers that an adult koala came along and collected the joey, and that all of the animals survived the encounter unharmed or apparently bothered. At the time of writing, the priceless pics of the paw-dorable pair have scooped up over 9,000 likes and were shared nearly 800 times.
Image credits: Steve Lamplough / Facebook
Both the doggo and the koala seemed to think it was no big deal, but the owner thought it best to return the tiny marsupial to a tree for its mother to find.
In an interview following Denni’s wholesome experience, Lamplough said he does see koalas on his property from time to time, but rarely up close and never on his dog’s back. “The dogs are always intrigued with [the koalas], but this is the first time I’ve ever seen them get that friendly,” he reflected.
Image credits: Richard Burlton / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Here’s the thing: dogs evolved as pack animals. Their very survival depended on cooperation, empathy, and care for others, even those not biologically related. This “alloparenting” (care for others’ young) instinct carries over into domesticated life, and if domesticated life includes other young animals, dogs are all in.
Science shows dogs produce oxytocin (“the love hormone”) when nurturing, similar to human parents. This hormonal link encourages maternal or protective behavior toward vulnerable creatures, whether they’re ducklings, kittens, or even tigers. So, it’s fair to say dogs have got our backs, no matter which species we are.
It didn’t take long for the mother koala to come and pick up her dog-riding baby, and the dog owner’s pics of the curious couple went viral even faster
Image credits: preechasiri / Freepik (not the actual photo)
In the comments, readers shared their own stories of their dogs playing “mom,” while others confessed they couldn’t survive the level of cuteness
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