I read long ago that cheetahs are naturally skittish and prone to anxiety.  They are the smallest of the big cats and live among lions, leopards, wild dogs, hyenas, and other predators.  So, it isn’t surprising that they are under stress.  It can be shocking to learn that they can remain calm with the help of a dog like many humans.

Tried to do research on this, but stories were iffy.  Supposedly, a researched and biologist named Laurie Marker stumbled onto this.  She was helping with cheetah breeding programs, so was raising cubs.  She had one with no other cheetahs for it to be with, so she paired it up with her dog to make it comfortable.  This apparently worked and the practice eventually became raising cheetah cubs with dogs.  They would grow up to become close friends and the dog would be a comforting presence.  It’s why you might see a dog chilling in a cheetah enclosure.

Now, it is preferable to have cheetah cubs grow up with other cheetahs.  Yet, you have those with not littermates due to being abandoned or orphaned.  So, it turns out that dogs make a good substitute.  The breed has to be calm, so you commonly see Labradors, German shepherds, and maybe golden retrievers.  Makes sense since you don’t want a hyper, loud dog around a skittish cat like a cheetah.  Can’t have one that is much bigger too because that could probably come off as a predator.  Then again, if they’re together since they were young, it could be fine.

I think this is very helpful since cheetahs are a big wildlife ambassador in conservation programs.  They help teach people about nature and make them realize these animals are real.  A dog being best friends with a cheetah can be another connection some humans make with them.  It shows they have emotions, worries, and stresses that need to be considered just like us.

Here’s a video of such a relationship: