By now, you’ve probably read a ton of stories of animal best friends from different species. If it ain’t a cat and a dog, it’s a dog with some other common critter. Think a donkey or a sheep.

Seems like if you make them share a home, they’re bound to be best friends, species difference be damned.

Though you’ll probably get a kick out of this one, which is quite a bit different from the others.

It’s a German Shepherd and a prairie dog.

Meet Prince and Banksy, a pair of best friends who live with their mom, Taylor Williams.

They reside in Fort Worth, Texas, along with her husband, Brad. Prince is a prairie dog, and Banksy is a German Shepherd. Obviously, they’ve got quite the size difference between them.

Prairie dogs are, in fact, rodents. They belong to the genus Cynomys and come in 4 different species.

The small, unassuming prairie dog’s habitat spans quite a bit of North America. As rodents, they have distinctly rodent-ish paws and noses.

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Not anything like a dog’s, despite their common name.

As for how Prince and Banksy came to be friends in the same home, prairie dogs are somewhat of an uncommon pet choice for some people in North America. They’re legal to keep in captivity, but very demanding and fussy.

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These animals are social critters with complex ecologies in their natural environments.

Introducing one into a human residence might take a lot of adjusting – for both human and prairie dog.

For one, they can’t just eat anything.

Only the very specific kinds of grass and hay that they naturally eat are options. It looks like Taylor and Brad managed just fine with Prince though, who’s already been with them for a year or so.

Prince also had to adjust to his new housemate, a 40 pound German Shepherd whose head alone was way bigger than he was.

German Shepherds are known to be gentle and caring with those they care about.

This proved to be the case when Prince joined their home.

The pair are the best of friends and even snuggle and nap together pretty often. They go on road trips together, and for the most part, look like any other pair of household pets.

Prince has even been on flights with Taylor and Brad, so he’s done his share of traveling.

Prince has his very own Instagram as well, and Banksy is a co-star in almost every photo.

The precious prairie dog has done everything from travel to chilling at a cafe. Despite coming from the grasslands of North America, this prairie dog lives a lot like a typical Gen-Z child.

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I suppose having a giant, canine best friend really changed his life. I mean, that’s what dogs tend to do, right?

See more of Prince and Banksy in the video below!

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Source: Beastly on YouTube, Prince the Prairie Dog on Instagram, Prairie Dogs on Wikipedia