Photos of Disabled Chihuahua and Pigeon Cuddling Melts Hearts Worldwide

(TMU) — A heartwarming and unlikely pair of roommates at a pet shelter has inspired the love of social media users across the globe this week.

Lundy, an 8-week-old Chihuahua puppy who cannot walk, has become fast friends with Herman, a pigeon who cannot fly due to a neurological condition.

The two were recently photographed giving each other tender cuddles while at the Mia Foundation, a nonprofit animal shelter in Rochester, New York that caters to creatures with special needs.

Gary Rogers, who helps run the shelter with his wife Sue, told WHEC:

“This guy here has touched the hearts of millions of people.”

Indeed, images of the duo have already led to a flood of inquiries, messages, and donation offers from across the globe.

Sue Rogers added:

“Unbelievable that a simple, cute picture would go this crazy.”

Herman the pigeon has lived at the shelter for roughly a year after he was rescued from an auto dealership, while Lundy arrived just six weeks ago from North Carolina unable to make use of his hind legs due to “swimmer’s syndrome.”

When wildlife specialists declared Herman to be untreatable, euthanasia seemed like the only option until Sue and the Mia Foundation intervened to give him a new lease on life.

Since then, Herman has forged an important cross-species bond with the adorable little Chihuahua pup.

Sue noted that things really took off earlier this month when she posted a photo of the two. She explained:

“I took Herman out of his playpen to give him some time out and I put him in a dog bed and then I had to tend to Lundy so I put Lundy in with him.

They just looked really cute together so I took some pictures and posted them to Facebook and the next morning it was crazy.”

Continuing, she added:

“Just from a simple picture of a pigeon and a puppy being shared, we’ve already brought in over $6,000 in donations.”

But the offers have continued to pile up over the weekend. In an update to the social media site, she explained how the foundation has been “inundated with requests to share the story behind the Lundy and Herman pictures from all over the world the last 48 hours.”

Offers have flooded in “from Mexico to Italy, Australia, Russia, UK, and more,” she added.

The Mia Foundation shelter was founded in 2012, and since then has offered invaluable aid to cats, horses, turkeys, goats, and even a donkey—animals that might otherwise be euthanized without intervention.

Sue told People:

“Our main goals is to take in animals born with birth defects … But people bring us injured birds and squirrels sometimes.”

While Herman is now a permanent resident at the foundation, Sue hopes that Lundy can soon find a forever home as well as a wheelchair that can help the 17-ounce pup get around on his own. Sue noted:

“I think the world needs good stories and when you have two species that basically fall in love, it can only touch hearts.”

By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com