Big dog, Big cat, Big friends?

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The dog is just missing the spots.. anyone know the back-story to this picture?

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Comments:

On Aug 13 at 10:55 AM, quaestor4 wrote >>

very cute.. license plate looks like europe.

On Aug 13 at 12:24 PM, djfortson wrote >>

actually south african, I saw this on digg

On Aug 21 at 09:06 AM, nkystud wrote >>

http://cincinnatizoo.org/discovery/schools/cat.html

On Sep 07 at 05:14 AM, Tish wrote >>

Back story is, dog is just glad to be alive.

On Oct 25 at 12:37 PM, J-rad wrote >>

That cat would ruin that dog in a fight. Good thing that the dog has such a powerful friend.

On Jan 01 at 08:29 PM, Phil E. Drifter wrote >>

That's a house cat that someone painted spots on to look like a cheetah, along with a golden lab puppy.

On Jan 03 at 01:37 AM, Lianne wrote >>

i stumbled across this page, i love these pictures, thanks for posting these!
With some googling i found one of the pictures of the two in the car with this as a backstory:

Leopard ‘Salati’ snuggles up beside golden retriever ‘Tommy’ in the back of a 4×4 at the Glen Afric Country Lodge on May 04, 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa. Salati the leopard turns the assumption that dogs love to chase cats on its head by running playfully after Tommy the golden retriever. Animal wrangler Richard Brooker, 23, hand-reared 10-month-old Salati and gives her and family pet dog Tommy their daily exercise together. He takes them out into his family’s 750 hectare estate and lets them run amok, saying “Wherever you see one the other is right behind”. Rescued as an orphaned cub, Salati was donated by a local vet to the family-run country retreat, which helps to rehabilitate injured and needy animals. The Brookers’ hard work and breeding programmes with elephants, lions, and giraffes has helped boost wildlife numbers in the area.

On Jan 10 at 06:33 PM, Dave wrote >>

The San Diego zoo has a cheetah and golden retriever couple. They were raised from pups together. The golden retriever is the alpha in the relationship and the cheetah "listens" to the dog and looks to him in how to respond to unknown experiences.

On Jan 10 at 09:10 PM, Kali wrote >>

Lianne???? Thanks for filling us in!!!

On Jan 10 at 09:56 PM, McCallister wrote >>

'shopped.

On Jan 11 at 04:10 AM, Acdragons wrote >>

@ Phil E. Drifter.
That would have to be a pretty damn small jeep if they were puppy and house cat. + Puppy's look different. :-)

Love the Pic btw

On Jan 11 at 08:58 AM, wiley wrote >>

the number plate SA not San Diego I'm afraid!

On Jan 11 at 12:43 PM, Brittney wrote >>

I love how people really believe that the cat is a cheetah. Leopards and cheetahs look nothing like each other.

On Jan 11 at 03:27 PM, frank wrote >>

phil you realize that they take up almost the whole bed of a pick up dumbass

On Jan 12 at 01:18 PM, Amanda wrote >>

Brittney. You are so smart and correct. That is a leopard in the photograph as Lianne explained. Dave is speaking of another and different story. Like a comment or response. Say this was a real conversation...Lianne would talk about the animals in the photo and Dave would say "Oh I know this similar story blah blah blah".

On Jan 12 at 10:51 PM, Morgan wrote >>

Amanda, I'm like 99% sure that was sarcasm, but even if it wasn't, it made me giggle quite a bit. I just thought you would like to know that.

On Jan 12 at 10:52 PM, ryan wrote >>

did they grow up together?

On Jan 16 at 02:26 PM, wuzzie wrote >>

seems fake

On Jan 16 at 06:05 PM, mat wrote >>

can any of you people that think this is fake read or see? its not fake. there are plenty of true stories that are extremely similar to this one. also you should try doing the research on it before you jump to such a conclusion instead of trusting your own judgment .... jack asses. and yes... its a fuckin leopard..

On Jan 16 at 07:37 PM, aaron wrote >>

that cat is gonna eat that dog eventually

On Jan 17 at 04:21 PM, mi wrote >>

mi mim mim mmijimijp

On Jan 19 at 06:55 PM, sara wrote >>

oreo mint milkshakes are very hard to drink through a straw.

On Jan 20 at 11:51 AM, a1zebragirl wrote >>

That is a beautiful cat!

On Jan 21 at 07:19 AM, Kim wrote >>

Love the pictures. Also, love the comments. ;) Especially the completely irrelevant one about oreo milkshakes. Strawberry milkshakes with real strawberries can also be hard to drink through straws.

To those that think this friendship isn't real, isn't it completely plausible that given the situation mentioned in Lianne's post that these two could be friends? My dogs and my cats are the best of friends because they were brought up together. Granted, my cats aren't leopards, but they all had to be tamed somewhere down the line initially, right? We're all just creatures trying to get along in this world, after all.

The amazing nature vs. nurture debate continues. ;)

Thanks for the lovely post!

On Jan 22 at 09:09 PM, Claire wrote >>

Not sure if it is the same animals, but i cant imagine too many cheetahs and golden reteivers being freinds, BUT at the san diego zoo in san diego, california. You can go on an actual tour behind the scenes and they have a cheetah and golden who are great freinds. The golden actually sleeps in the cheetahs cage at times. Not saying its the same animals, BUT you never know!

On Jan 23 at 04:40 AM, Mark wrote >>

Just watched a TV special on these two... I think it was on National Geographic. They were raised together, and the Leopard is coming to maturity, and they are a bit concerned as she is starting to wander farther away on hunts, and behave as a Leopard will behave in the wild. The family has an animal rescue in... South Africa maybe? I forget. The TV show was on "unlikely friends in the animal world" and may possibly be available on demand through cable, etc. REALLY cute pair, it's not a fake picture.

On Jan 24 at 01:46 PM, Jessie wrote >>

This is a fake picture

On Jan 25 at 12:16 PM, god wrote >>

shits photoshopped

On Jan 26 at 12:32 PM, JP wrote >>

Just another dog that loves pussy. This is life

On Jan 27 at 02:11 PM, washmygarbage wrote >>

do they have pittens or kuppies?

On Jan 30 at 02:38 PM, Guest wrote >>

The dog has charm ability on cats

On Jan 30 at 08:10 PM, Check out the ride wrote >>

Subarus Rock

On Feb 01 at 04:34 PM, Sympathy wrote >>

For those people on about San Diego, you are saying it is a CHEETAH AND DOG. Well, these are different animals my dears. FOR THIS IS A LE P O A R D! I has spots, also notice the eyes, there are no 'black tears' like a cheetah. So now accept they are different animals. For those who thinks its fake. My mouse and my snake are friends. I thought mr slips(green tree snake) would've eaten tiddles by now.

On Feb 02 at 03:34 PM, fellow stumbler wrote >>

@ Lianne, another reason to love stumble upon =D

On Feb 02 at 05:24 PM, yoyo stumbler wrote >>

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so cute I love it
(the other comments are so rude)

On Feb 03 at 10:07 AM, matthew Maher wrote >>

ya i have photo shop too?

On Feb 03 at 10:22 AM, tyre_sm wrote >>

license plate is North West Province, South Africa.

On Feb 03 at 10:24 AM, tyre_sm wrote >>

definitely a leopard
rings, not spots
tail is thicker but not as long as a cheetah
cheetahs have 'tears', black markings from the eyes along the nose

On Feb 06 at 10:19 AM, Demi wrote >>

Is it from growing up cheetah?

On Feb 07 at 02:36 AM, lo. wrote >>

fuck people can be closed minded. why shouldn't two animals like this be friends? you don't know everything about nature, so don't be so disbelieving of something you're hardly even educated about. it's not fake. weird things do happen. now go live a little.

On Feb 14 at 04:32 PM, Bert wrote >>

When you all make comments to each other, can't you be poliet! Do you really need to say the "F" bomb like a 7th grader.

On Feb 15 at 10:29 AM, Sheila wrote >>

Awww that's so cute!!

On Feb 16 at 11:08 AM, Gnar wrote >>

That dog looks like Dug from "UP". =)

On Feb 16 at 01:34 PM, Colby wrote >>

LOOK OUT FOR THAT FUCKING CHEETAH!

On Feb 16 at 01:35 PM, Colby wrote >>

Bert, laern hwo too typee gohs.

On Feb 23 at 12:24 PM, matt wrote >>

This is in South Africa, I was at the SD wildpark exhibit and saw the cheetahs with the dog...& that is not the same kind of dogg

On Feb 25 at 03:17 AM, Not You wrote >>

For all of you saying its a cheetah

its a leopard. Its not a cheetah.
Idiots.
cheetahs have different body types.

On Feb 26 at 05:03 PM, :) wrote >>

heres the story ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1273864/Salati-leopard-Tommy-dog-snuggle-daily-game-chase.html

On Feb 27 at 01:02 PM, Alastair wrote >>

Number plate comes from Northern Cape, South Africa

On Mar 04 at 05:40 PM, yoshi wrote >>

awwww that is soo cute. i would hate to see a messy breakup... lol

REAL MONEY for looking at an ad for 20 secs . Not a bad deal eh? Even more money for referrals…doesn’t even require a credit card…
It adds up nicely and is at least worth taking a look.
http://www.grbux.com/?ref=sup578

On Mar 06 at 01:21 PM, Alex wrote >>

When will people get that it is leopard not a cheetah they need to learn their big cat species

On Mar 07 at 02:29 PM, Miss Becca wrote >>

""On Jan 01 at 08:29 PM, Phil E. Drifter wrote >>
That's a house cat that someone painted spots on to look like a cheetah, along with a golden lab puppy.""

this man is a new level of retarded

On Mar 14 at 05:52 PM, Rik wrote >>

It's real
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1049648/leopard-and-dog-become-inseparable-friends

On Mar 20 at 11:12 PM, Anon wrote >>

For those bashing on Phil: I'm pretty sure HE was joking. For those trying to tell others that it IS, in fact, a leopard: Give up. Seriously? There are already multiple explanations/comments about this. You just clutter it with a repetitive comment that many peoplefind annoying. Also, if they read through this and still don't get it, they have no hope. Most likely, they aren't reading, so no point..." Those trolling trolls? Again, no point. Most of them post and never come back. Even if they do, you won't make them feel bad or guilty, they just see that they were successful.

These are very beautiful pictures, and I'm very glad that others were kind enough to look for the back-story and share it with all of us. Thank you.

On Mar 31 at 09:43 PM, Really? wrote >>

Who cares if someone else thinks it's a cheetah? Is their ignorance affecting you in any way? Is it having an impact on your life? You don't know their life, if they want to think it's a cheetah, or enjoy the pictures/story thinking it's a cheetah, then who are you to care or judge if they do?

I swear, the internet makes it easy for people to think that they should/can/need to "make an impact" for other people by sharing their opinion or oh so insightful wisdom. The truth? Nobody cares. You're not some solution to the world's ignorance.

Anyways, love the pictures. It's a sweet story, reminds me of a video I saw a while back - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE-Nyt4Bmi8

On Jun 17 at 02:20 PM, Sarah wrote >>

I just watched a show on National Geographic called "Unlikely Animal Friends 2" about these two, Tommy (the Golden Retriever) and Salati (the Leopard). I, like many of you, didn't believe this story the first time I came across it and thought it was photoshopped, but now think this is the sweetest story on the planet.

On Aug 10 at 12:25 AM, James wrote >>

It's the exact same people who claim this is faked or photo shopped that are ruining America today. They only do it for the aggravation factor and any possible notoriety they can garner through the chaos that ensues from their sophomoric attempts at inanity.
People, for once, can't all of you twits just enjoy a novel and unique story for itself? Guess not. Goodbye world, that twits have taken you down to their level.

On Aug 18 at 10:06 AM, Kate wrote >>

For all of you who think this photo is real, think again. These are my photos, I took them in my backyard with my cat and my Golden puppy. She's a Bengal cat, they have leopard spots, so no they are not 'painted on'. Yes my truck is rather small, it is a 'green' vehicle requiring less gas than your average truck. I can't believe how many of you fell for it! Success!!

On Sep 05 at 07:11 PM, lola wrote >>

I LOVE IT

On Sep 05 at 07:12 PM, LOLA wrote >>

ITS WONDERFUL

On Sep 11 at 08:08 PM, alicia wrote >>

These pictures make me smile, which is what they were intended to do. Half of you people commenting are total jerks.

On Feb 15 at 07:30 AM, Theresa wrote >>

Okay, I want some of whatever Kate is taking!

On Dec 28 at 04:33 AM, Sam from South Africa wrote >>

Here is the story run in the Daily Mail in the UK

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1273864/Salati-leopard-Tommy-dog-snuggle-daily-game-chase.html