Fox Sniffer and Dog Tinni Show Us the True Beauty of Friendship (VIDEO)

No interspecies friendship captivated the world more in late 2013 than adorable fox Sniffer and his dog buddy Tinni. The pair met by chance while Tinni and his guardian, animal advocate Torgeir Berge, were searching a local Norwegian forest for illegal poison bait – a death sentence for Norway’s wolves whose overall population is already in a rapid state of decline at just 30 to 60 members remaining.

Tinni and Sniffer immediately hit it off and have been close friends ever since – walking and playing together frequently near the forest where they first met.

Tinni’s guardian Berge and his partner Berit Helberg plan to release a photo and story book tracing the development of Tinni and Sniffer’s heartwarming friendship, which will be published in May 2014 in Norwegian and later in English once they secure a publisher for that version. To accompany the book’s release, a theme song has been created for Tinni and Sniffer in both Norweign and English which also highlights their special friendship.

While Tinni and Sniffer’s relationship shows us that true love (and friendship) knows no bounds – and especially no species lines – it takes on a deeper meaning when considering our own separate treatment of these animals. Dogs like Tinni are often viewed as a beloved home companion while foxes like Sniffer suffer cruel fates in fur farms and through traps, even though both have the same abilities to show emotion and exhibit intelligence.

Why love one but hurt the other? Shouldn’t we all be friends?

Image source: Torgeir Berge