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Video Of A Cheetah Playing With A Dog At The Zoo Will Make Your Day

Moose (the dog) and Donni (the cheetah) rest in between romps.
Ann Thompson
/
WVXU
Moose (the dog) and Donni (the cheetah) rest in between romps.

After two years, Moose and Donni are still together. Moose is a chocolate lab and Donni, a cheetah. The Cincinnati Zoo paired the two up in 2016 so Donni could learn to run and play given that he didn't have any brothers or sisters who could teach him.

Lead Trainer of the Cat Ambassador Program Linda Castaneda describes their first encounter when Moose was a puppy and Donni a cub.

Moose spends much of his time interacting with trainers at the zoo, but a couple times a day he plays with Donni the cheetah.
Credit Ann Thompson / WVXU
/
WVXU
Moose spends much of his time interacting with trainers at the zoo, but a couple times a day he plays with Donni the cheetah.

"He (Moose) wagged his tail and shuffled on over to Donni and Donni walloped him not knowing what he was and that's his way of initiating play. To which Moose probably thought, 'That's not how I intended that going,'" she recalls. "But after a couple of interactions that were supervised of course, they realized, hey, you like to play; I like to play and wrestle."

Here is a video of one of the duo's first interactions two years ago.

The friendship has grown because Moose was very open-minded to the thought of this new relationship.

Castaneda often wonders what the two are thinking. "I wonder if the cheetah thinks, 'Poor thing, that cheetah doesn't have any spots; it's never going to blend in.' And I wonder if the dog wonders why that other dog is so weird."

The two play together a couple times a day. Here is a video of them playing last Friday at the zoo.

This is the fifth dog-cheetah pairing at the Cincinnati Zoo. Castaneda says no dogs or cheetahs have gotten injured. Still, one wonders: How long can this relationship last? 

"I always say it's like siblings," Castaneda says. "Sharing a room might have been a blast. At some point though, you really wanted your own room."

Most of the time it appeared Moose the dog had more energy then Donni the cheetah.
Credit Ann Thompson / WVXU
/
WVXU
Most of the time it appeared Moose the dog had more energy then Donni the cheetah.

Copyright 2021 91.7 WVXU. To see more, visit 91.7 WVXU.

With more than 30 years of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market, Ann Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. She has reported for WKRC, WCKY, WHIO-TV, Metro Networks and CBS/ABC Radio. Her work has been recognized by the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2019 and 2011 A-P named her “Best Reporter” for large market radio in Ohio. She has won awards from the Association of Women in Communications and the Alliance for Women in Media. Ann reports regularly on science and technology in Focus on Technology.