Pit bull forms loving bond with orphaned squirrel who followed him home

We’ve all seen our dogs perk up at the sight of a wild squirrel, though it’s usually because they want to chase them down.

They seem like natural enemies, you’d never expect there could ever be any love between them—but one adorable friendship is proving that wrong.

Morgan Joy Groves, from Charlotte, North Carolina, is the owner of a rescue pit bull named Everly, as well as a cat named Bev.

But a few weeks ago, she got an unexpected new “pet” when a squirrel followed them home. Young squirrels often approach humans after they’ve been separated from their mothers, so it was clear that the creature was in need of help.

So she took the squirrel in… and it was Everly who really took the animal under her wing:

Dogs have a remarkable empathy and an ability to sense when a creature is in need of help, and will step up to care for them.

It’s all the more inspiring that Everly is a pit bull, defying the stereotype that the breed is vicious.

“Everly has such a special talent of always being able to make new friends,” Morgan wrote on Instagram.

The two animals spent time together over the next few days, with the squirrel laying on the dog’s belly as they napped in the sun.

While it’s tempting to want to see these two grow up together, squirrels belong in the wild, and Morgan made arrangements to return the squirrel to its natural habitat.

“Our little squirrel friend was brought to a wildlife center where it will be nourished and taken care of,” she wrote on Instagram.

“There are two other squirrels his age that he will grow up with, and when ready, be released back into the forest together as a family!”