A dog and pig have struck up an unlikely friendship - and always miss each other when they have to spend time apart.
Gina, a golden retriever, and Hamlet, a micro pig, have formed an adorable relationship after being adopted by their owner Arianna Tsolakoglou.
Arianna rescued eight-year-old Gina in 2017 when she discovered her abandoned on a beach nursing two puppies and four kittens.
It wasn’t until 2019 when Halmet came into their lives at just a few months old, in a terrible condition with wounds on his head and a broken tail.
“It was extremely interesting and touching to witness how Gina treated him when I brought him home. Gina is instinctively a very nurturing creature,” said Arianna.
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“For the first month, I had Hamlet in a fenced playpen inside of the house so that he could get used to the space and to me. I remember Gina laying by the fence for hours and it seemed as if she was protecting and looking after him.
“After he got used to everything and started wandering around the house, Gina was very accepting of him and would actually allow him to lay on her, pull her hair, bite her nails - he was teething - and basically do whatever he wanted.”
Their relationship continues to flourish, with Arianna returning home a few times to find empty pet food bags and opened boxes of human food scattered about her kitchen floor.
Arianna, who lives between California and Athens, said: “What I find amusing is that they have evolved into being like siblings but also partners in crime and will often collaborate to achieve a common goal - and that has to do with food most of the time.
"It is very interesting that they each pitch in with their own capacity to be able to reach food that is not accessible.
"It seems to me that Hamlet uses his intelligence and problem-solving skills and Gina uses her physical capacity, as she is a bigger creature, to get to things that they are not supposed to."
Gina and Hamlet can often be found cuddled up next to each other during nap time.
Arianna said: “They have many moments of affection - such as when they cuddle or when they play together or when they simply just want to be next to each other and have their bodies touch while keeping their personal spaces.”
And while her pets enjoy their one-on-one time with their owner - they end up missing their 'other half' after spending more than a few hours apart.
“I have noticed that when I am only with one of the two, they appreciate it because they feel like they have alone time with me and that they have my full attention," Arianna added.
"But at the same time, when they meet again, I can see that they actually missed each other - they greet each other.
“I personally have very different relationships with the two of them.
“I’ve noticed that to Gina I am more like a mum and she seeks my nurturing and affection.
"She can get jealous with Hamlet even though they are like siblings, whereas to Hamlet it seems that I am more like his love.
"This seems to be the reason why he looks at me with infatuation and is often also very jealous of men.
Do you have a cute dog story to sell? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
