Sometimes the most unlikely friendships are the purest.
Peri the chicken was adopted by a loving family when she was just a matter of days old, but six months into her young life, she came down with a severe eye infection.
Her loving family gave her daily medication and even took her to several specialists, but sadly, they were told Peri would lose her sight. Luckily for Peri, her family were on hand to ensure she had the best quality life possible, even without her sight.
Peri’s human, Christa Hubbard, told The Dodo:
We made adjustments to help her as she lost her sight: bowls on a throw rug that make noise, special low roosting bars, an ottoman in the living room to ‘watch’ TV with us in the evening and an extra large ottoman in our room, next to our bed, for her bed.
We hired a chicken ‘nanny’ to help her out when we weren’t home.
Because of all the attention she was given from such a young age, Peri has grown into the sweetest and most cuddly chicken ever.
Not only that, Peri also formed an unbreakable bond with the family’s other pet – her put bull brother, Taj.
As soon as she joined the family, Taj could immediately tell that something was different and vowed to protect her.
Christa continued:
He was three years old and quickly took to helping her find her way. A seeing eye dog for a hen. These two spent the next eight years together. He would guide and protect her. They napped together, sunbathed together. Taj died in July 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Peri was lost without her buddy — she knew he was gone.
Taj had been such a huge part of the family and such an important role in Peri’s life that Christa worried how Peri would cope without him. So, in an attempt to fill the Taj-shaped hole in their hearts, the family decided to adopt to pit bull puppies.
As soon as the pair joined the family, Peri became close with the new additions and now she is just as close with her sister Gracie as she was with Taj.
Gracie worries that Peri won’t be able to find her toys, so she brings them to her to give her comfort and Peri is so grateful.
Christa said:
Gracie will bring Peri a toy, place it in front of her and wait. When Peri is out in her yard doing chicken things, Gracie can be found laying outside the fence waiting for her (Peri has a fenced-in area as we have a pool). When Peri is on her ottoman ‘watching’ TV, Gracie brings her a toy. First thing in the morning when we get up, Gracie checks on her sleeping friend.
Taj and Peri were so close, and now Christa believes Gracie and Peri’s relationship is just the beginning of where Taj left off.
It really doesn’t get any more heartwarming than that.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.