An unlikely friendship between a raccoon and a fawn at a Dallas, Texas area nonprofit is spreading smiles across social media.
Carrie Long runs the nonprofit Texas Fawn and Friends, which rescues, rehabs and releases orphaned and injured fawns.
"I am permitted through Texas Parks and Wildlife, and I'm governed by the warden and I specialize in fawns,” Long said.
She and her family have horses and cows. So, when friends would call about an orphaned fawn, Long says it was natural to start taking them in.
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A few other animals find a home here, too. Like Jasper, the raccoon that came a year ago and stayed.
"He was about two weeks old. And his eyes had just opened. And he was the cutest thing ever," Long smiled. "He has free choice. Cat food is one of his favorite treats and he likes Rice Krispies. So, he eats a lot of those and it has went to his waistline."
Hope the fawn arrived about a year ago, too, and Jasper took a liking to her.
"Jasper is kinda like that irritating little brother that you just gotta put up with him. And he has just become very infatuated with Hope. When he sees her, he runs and jumps on her and she just deals with it," Long said.
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Long recently posted a video of the pair with Jasper appearing to hug his friend, and the likes and comments started coming in. A national publication then picked up the story, and off it went.
“My middle daughter was like, 'mom, do you know how many hits you have?' I said, 'please explain that in English.' I didn't know what she was talking about. So it has just kind of bombarded in the last two weeks," she said.
Long says she posted the video simply to make folks smile and share in their sweet friendship, one born at Texas Fawn and Friends.