Friends For Life

Here is a heartwarming story (courtesy of CBS news) about an unlikely friendship that just underlines the power of companionship, even among animals.

At the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, elephants tend to travel in pairs. In fact, it is unusual for an elephant to travel through his days at the Sanctuary, alone.

"Every animal that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," according to sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley. As evidence, she explains that Debbie has Ronnie. Misty has Dulary.

And then there is the unlikely pair of Tarra, the 8,700 pound Asian elephant and Bella, the stray dog that also found a home at the sanctuary.

"Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog," Buckley elaborates. "But that's not a problem for them. When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together."

The strength of their bond was made even more apparent recently when Bella suffered a spinal injury and had to be confined to the sanctuary office for three weeks. Tarra, her friend, stood outside the window of the office waiting for her to return.

"She just stood outside the balcony--just stood and waited," says Buckley. "She was concerned about her friend."

One day co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella outside on the balcony so she and Tara could see each other. Bella's tail started wagging, so he carried her down so the two friends could visit. The routine continued every day until Bella was healed and could walk.

According to CBS, their friendship is even stronger now than it was before Bella's injury. Bella even lets Tarra rub her belly with her huge foot.

The two seem destined to live out their days together. It is hard to imagine one surviving long without the other and the touching relationship certainly brings new meaning to the phrase "odd couple".

After all, who are we to say what defines odd?