Cheetahs are pretty big cats and the fastest animals on Earth, but are also very sensitive. They get anxious and stressed very quickly. They also struggle to socialize with each other, which stops them from procreating and can affect the cheetah population. That’s why they need help to prevent them from becoming extinct. The most surprising solution was to give them their own emotional support companion dog.
Seeing that cheetahs needed some assistance, zookeepers have given these animals emotional support dogs. It might seem weird to imagine a cheetah therapy dog, but this unlikely friendship helps both species.
Why Do Dogs and Cheetahs Get Paired?
Zoos provide a support dog for cheetahs because these big cats are naturally shy. Cheetahs are so shy that they won’t interact with each other and end up not breeding. This is why they are becoming an endangered species.
The cheetah companion dog can help build its confidence. Dogs have a naturally comforting and calming nature, which relaxes the felines. The zoo will pair a cheetah cub and dog so that it picks up on the dog’s behavior and cues. The dog will often be the dominant one and guide the feline.
Captive cheetahs have singular companion bonds: You can introduce an old dog to a new cheetah but not an old cheetah to a new one. Calm dog breeds like golden retrievers, and Labradors are the best to pair with these felines.
That’s why we have shared a video from CBS News and pictures below. Check out these beautiful pictures of the cheetah and dog’s unlikely friendship, and let us know your thoughts. Share it with your friends to see the cute cheetah and dog friends play.
Cheetah and Dog Cuddling in the Grass
Image credits: Columbus Zoo
How Do Animals Like Cheetahs and Dogs Get Along?
A cheetah with a support dog will learn to imitate its behavior and become more aggressive and confident. They model the dog’s calm demeanor. The cheetah’s dog provides much-needed companionship and support so that it learns not to fear its surroundings. The cheetah never hurts or harms its friend.
Dogs are wonderful companions for people or creatures who are stressed and fearful. They are so good at their job that one owner even got an emotional support dog for his dog who has anxiety!
A Cheetah Cub Kissing a Puppy
Image credits: Columbus Zoo
Cheetah and Dog Best Friends Cuddling
Image credits: Columbus Zoo
How Long Can a Cheetah and Emotional Support Dog Live Together?
There are many beautiful stories of cheetahs being paired with dogs since they were cubs. One such example is the San Diego Zoo cheetah and dog, Ruuxa and Raina, who have been friends since they were babies. The zoo will first introduce the puppy and cub to each other so that they can smell one another through a partition. Slowly, they can engage in brief supervised visits, and the cheetah cub plays with the dog.
Each pairing situation can differ; some take a few weeks, while others take 2–3 months. The two friends are also trained to be comfortable spending time apart in case they are separated. The cheetah anxiety dog can remain with it for years, and they do everything together except eat. These wholesome dogs are a great source of support for the felines.
Cheetah-Dog Best Friends Lying in the Grass
Image credits: Columbus Zoo
Who Thought About Pairing Cheetahs and Support Dogs?
Cheetahs and dogs were first paired together in 1976 in a small town in Oregon. The research scientist and conservation biologist Laurie Marker was taking care of a cheetah cub named Khayam. Since cheetahs are companionable litter-mates, she paired the fastest animal with a dog.
Marker found a Lab-mix named Shesho, and they soon became fast friends. This blossoming friendship and astounding level of support is exactly why dogs are better than cats. Who are we kidding? Cats are adorable and awesome, too!
Dog and Cheetah Running in the Zoo
Image credits: CBS News
Cheetah and Emotional Support Dog Sitting Together
Image credits: CBS News
Cheetah Conservation Also Relies on Dogs
One of the most unique things about this cheetah-dog friendship is that it can help with the conservation of these big cats. In Africa, the Cheetah Conservation Fund works to protect cheetahs in their natural habitat.
They breed special dogs and give them to Namibian farmers when they are eight weeks old. These dogs protect the farms and livestock from cheetahs and other predators. That’s why the farmers don’t have to worry about protecting their livestock, which is their livelihood, and hence don’t kill the cheetahs. These kinds of animal programs greatly help the endangered species.
Watch the Video Here:
How Do You Feel About This Beautiful Love Story?
It’s lovely to see how the cheetahs that are so shy start to blossom and open up after befriending a dog. This unusual inter-species friendship truly works wonders! Nobody would imagine cheetahs being so friendly and playing around with dogs. But what’s even more remarkable is that some people have befriended cheetahs. These big cats seem more social than we ever imagined!
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"Cheetahs are socailly awkward and shy animals..." I must be a cheetah at heart
They have this at the San Diego Zoo, they are safe and it's very entertaining to watch them interact
....or they could be in space or reservation away from the things that make them panic. Animals rarely thrive in zoos
I am sure them becoming endagered has more to do with humans than with shyness
I am somewhat skeptical at the accuracy of this statement: "They get so anxious, they don’t know how to socialize with each other and get too stressed to have sex. That’s why they needed help as they’re becoming extinct ". Well, maybe in the zoos. Maybe in some American zoos. But in the wild, they are doing fine, thank you. And I've never heard of South African or European breeding center for cheetahs encountering the problems described here. This being said, it's a very nice story and it's always amazing to see how different species of animals can get along so well.
Looks cute in theory, but in reality, cheetahs are wild animals - stuck in zoos, with people gawping at them, no wonder they're anxious! I have to wonder if the guide dogs are to help them relax, as claimed, or to entice them to perform for the public. They should be in sanctuaries, as close to their natural habitat as possible. That would make them less anxious and they would be able to engage in natural behaviour.
Those dogs don’t have to pay the huge $ to visit the cheetahs in the Columbus Zoo which is in another county. My family can’t even afford to park at the zoo but we have to pay to pay taxes for it so Jack Hanna can make his $300,000+
and instead should out in the wild to get hunted right?
Load More Replies...
Oooh does this mean I can adopt a cheetah labrador soon? Can't wait
They are awkward... Is it just maybe they do not belong either in America or in a f*****g zoo? Just saying.
I am an animal lover, and I must say looking at I cheetah playing with a dog will be one of the best things that I would love to see, and I must say everyone need Emotional Support. Unlike humans who are bound by laws to prove the mental illness and need for emotional support, I and to get an ESA Letter to get an accommodation for me and my pet, I received my letter from https://www.fastesaletter.com, and after that I was able to get an accommodation for my dog.
Dogs are wonderful and they are used for so many great benefits to humans beside just a pet!
Unless these captive bred animals are being reintroduced into the wild, to contribute to natural populations (instead of just being human entertainment), shouldn't more effort be put towards preserving their natural habitat and protect wild populations instead of buying pets for the captive population?
Maybe they are anxious because they are living with humans, in captivity, and not in their natural habitats?
U am worried about both animals it is not right to keep animals in zoo and it is not right to risk life of a puppy
The thing is, this happens in zoos... I have never heard about cheetahs being too shy to breed in the wild. It is absolutely wonderful that they get help with their shyness, but it shouldn't be necessary...
You are correct about cheetahs not breeding when in captivity. The article implies that they are too "shy" to breed in captivity. What a load of rubbish. Cheetahs are not social, pride animals like lions, but they are not "shy" - they are loners. Leopards are considered "shy" and elusive. Cheetahs will often form coalitions (usually brothers) once they have learnt to hunt and been "thrown out" by the mother. People compare them to lions which are gregarious and "affectionate" animals. Female lions stay in the pride and males are evicted once mature, and male lions that have been evicted will often also form coalitions as cheetahs do. It is ignorant of the writer to suggest that this dog will help this cheetah to breed, when in fact the reason why most wild animals don't breed in captivity is because they are in captivity. This BABY cheetah does not need a dog - it needs it's mother, but the zoo keepers took it away from its mother. The mother would (rightfully) kill this dog!
Load More Replies... This angers me so much. What a load of utter garbage. This cheetah cub should be with its MOTHER, NOT hand-reared with a dog as a companion. Actually, this cheetah should be in the African bush or on an African plain. Cheetahs are NOT becoming extinct because they are shy and lonely and thus not breeding. They are highly endangered because the sub-human species have HUNTED them into that status, and continues to greedily take more and more wilderness away from wildlife. We must feel sadness for this poor cheetah cub, not warm and fuzzy because of this dog that is going to teach it how to hunt and suffocate its prey. Oh, isn't the dog trained to do that? No, of course not - this is a ZOO, aka wildlife prison.
"Cheetahs are socailly awkward and shy animals..." I must be a cheetah at heart
They have this at the San Diego Zoo, they are safe and it's very entertaining to watch them interact
....or they could be in space or reservation away from the things that make them panic. Animals rarely thrive in zoos
I am sure them becoming endagered has more to do with humans than with shyness
I am somewhat skeptical at the accuracy of this statement: "They get so anxious, they don’t know how to socialize with each other and get too stressed to have sex. That’s why they needed help as they’re becoming extinct ". Well, maybe in the zoos. Maybe in some American zoos. But in the wild, they are doing fine, thank you. And I've never heard of South African or European breeding center for cheetahs encountering the problems described here. This being said, it's a very nice story and it's always amazing to see how different species of animals can get along so well.
Looks cute in theory, but in reality, cheetahs are wild animals - stuck in zoos, with people gawping at them, no wonder they're anxious! I have to wonder if the guide dogs are to help them relax, as claimed, or to entice them to perform for the public. They should be in sanctuaries, as close to their natural habitat as possible. That would make them less anxious and they would be able to engage in natural behaviour.
Those dogs don’t have to pay the huge $ to visit the cheetahs in the Columbus Zoo which is in another county. My family can’t even afford to park at the zoo but we have to pay to pay taxes for it so Jack Hanna can make his $300,000+
and instead should out in the wild to get hunted right?
Load More Replies... Oooh does this mean I can adopt a cheetah labrador soon? Can't wait
They are awkward... Is it just maybe they do not belong either in America or in a f*****g zoo? Just saying.
I am an animal lover, and I must say looking at I cheetah playing with a dog will be one of the best things that I would love to see, and I must say everyone need Emotional Support. Unlike humans who are bound by laws to prove the mental illness and need for emotional support, I and to get an ESA Letter to get an accommodation for me and my pet, I received my letter from https://www.fastesaletter.com, and after that I was able to get an accommodation for my dog.
Dogs are wonderful and they are used for so many great benefits to humans beside just a pet!
Unless these captive bred animals are being reintroduced into the wild, to contribute to natural populations (instead of just being human entertainment), shouldn't more effort be put towards preserving their natural habitat and protect wild populations instead of buying pets for the captive population?
Maybe they are anxious because they are living with humans, in captivity, and not in their natural habitats?
U am worried about both animals it is not right to keep animals in zoo and it is not right to risk life of a puppy
The thing is, this happens in zoos... I have never heard about cheetahs being too shy to breed in the wild. It is absolutely wonderful that they get help with their shyness, but it shouldn't be necessary...
You are correct about cheetahs not breeding when in captivity. The article implies that they are too "shy" to breed in captivity. What a load of rubbish. Cheetahs are not social, pride animals like lions, but they are not "shy" - they are loners. Leopards are considered "shy" and elusive. Cheetahs will often form coalitions (usually brothers) once they have learnt to hunt and been "thrown out" by the mother. People compare them to lions which are gregarious and "affectionate" animals. Female lions stay in the pride and males are evicted once mature, and male lions that have been evicted will often also form coalitions as cheetahs do. It is ignorant of the writer to suggest that this dog will help this cheetah to breed, when in fact the reason why most wild animals don't breed in captivity is because they are in captivity. This BABY cheetah does not need a dog - it needs it's mother, but the zoo keepers took it away from its mother. The mother would (rightfully) kill this dog!
Load More Replies... This angers me so much. What a load of utter garbage. This cheetah cub should be with its MOTHER, NOT hand-reared with a dog as a companion. Actually, this cheetah should be in the African bush or on an African plain. Cheetahs are NOT becoming extinct because they are shy and lonely and thus not breeding. They are highly endangered because the sub-human species have HUNTED them into that status, and continues to greedily take more and more wilderness away from wildlife. We must feel sadness for this poor cheetah cub, not warm and fuzzy because of this dog that is going to teach it how to hunt and suffocate its prey. Oh, isn't the dog trained to do that? No, of course not - this is a ZOO, aka wildlife prison.
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