Samson the gentle giant dog cannot seem to form any friendship with other dogs until he gets a cat sister.Cleo the kitty sister even rides on his back when they go out on adventures with the family.The unlikely bond proves that friendship knows no species.Golden retriever Samson was trained as a medical response service dog. His mom Lea thinks that Samson takes his job too seriously that he has forgotten how to be a dog. “Even when he gets time off to play, he has a hard time understanding when he can just be a dog,” said Lea.

He has been approached by other pups to play but he is just too shy. Lea even thought that Samson was not happy until in one of the family’s adventures, they saw Samson getting excited over a cat!Even separated by glass, Samson played with the cat and this was an aha moment for Lea. Samson was not socially inept, but he just could not relate with dogs.

And so, they adopted a kitten, named her Cleo, and introduced her to Samson who went head over heels at the get go.

With a laugh, Lea said, “We weren’t expecting him to get so excited that he couldn’t control himself anymore.”

Grooming and snuggling with his feline little sister is all that occupies Samson’s free time.

Even when they go out with the family on adventures, the two are never far apart. One day, Cleo grew tired of walking. They experimented on letting Cleo ride on Samson’s back instead of placing her in a backpack.

The arrangement was a hit!

Cleo enjoys the ride while Samson takes pride in being Cleo’s noble steed.

The special relationship with Cleo has given Samson reason to be more confident in himself and around other dogs.

Lea said, “It was so heartwarming to see him just come out of his shell and immediately form that connection with Cleo.”

Seeing these two different species of animals, trust and love each other shows that friendship knows no bounds. “Anybody can be friends,” said Lea.