Meet Dusty, the Kangaroo Who Thinks He’s a Dog (PHOTOS)

What sort of qualities do you look for in a friend? You probably consider things like same taste in pastimes and music – but our guess is that you don’t stop to consider whether or not you’re the same species… This is exactly the mindset that Dusty the kangaroo has with his two best friends who just happen to be dogs.

Dusty was rescued from the side of the road by the Stewart family when he was only a small joey. “In a rural area like this there are always kangaroos around who unfortunately get hit on the road and for various reasons orphaned joeys are found,” Mr. Stewart told the Daily Mail.

He had clearly been abandoned by his mother and was in desperate need of care. Nearly two years later, Dusty has become the third “dog” in the Stewart’s little pack.

The Stewart’s own a farm in rural Australia. When Mr. Stewart drives around the farm with the dogs in the back of the truck, Dusty joins right in.

Dusty sleeps with the dogs, eats with them and even helps them sneak treats when their parents aren’t looking. He’s also developed a few very dog-like behaviors. For example, Mr. Stewart explains to the Daily Mail that Dusty will come greet him at the door and ask for head pats – just the same as the dogs.  What’s even more interesting about this little kanga-dog is that he is not very fond of the family’s cat. He seems to have even picked up on stereotypical dog behaviors!

Unfortunately, since Dusty has been raised by the Stewart’s he won’t be able to rejoin other wild kangaroos, he seems to be enjoying his life among the dogs.

“He thinks Lilly [the Stewart’s Golden Retriever] is his mum,” explain’s Stewart,”he’s always grooming her, they’re always together and if Lilly goes out of the yard he pines for her and sort of hops up and down the fence until he’s let out to go with her.”

While contacting a professional wildlife rehabber is always the best practice when you find an injured animal, we are glad to see that Dusty is being well taken care of.

Although this story is heart-warming and cute, we do not encourage our readers to feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife interferes with the balance between wildlife populations and their habitat and could lead them to be reliant on humans for survival, amongst other problems. If you find an animal in need, contact a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help!