Newfoundland Dog Has 'Guard Duck' BFF Who Decides Who Gets Playdates With Him

I often tell my daughter that one mark of a good friend is not being possessive. It’s very suspicious when a friend tries to police your other friendships and isolate you from the rest of your community. Hopefully, it’s advice that will serve her well in life, keeping her from joining cliques, or cults, or getting into abusive relationships. But when the possessive and judgmental friend in your life is a duck, as in this hilarious video, I’m inclined to be a little more lenient. After all, maybe the hundred-pound Newfoundland Dog the duck is so carefully guarding actually needs his buddy to run interference.

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In this video, a smaller white and black dog is attempting to coax a large brown Newfoundland into a game of chase, but every time he approaches, he’s scared off by a duck.

Related: Begging Newfie Hits the Jackpot When Sister Makes Him a Bowl of Ice Cream

The Newfie and duck are named Biss and Olee and they live on a hobby farm in Oklahoma. Biss first came to live on the farm back in 2020, and Olee the duck instantly bonded with him. Olee, according to the farmer, thinks of himself as not only Biss’s best friend, but also as his “guard duck” who gets to decide who approaches the giant dog…and why.

It’s an unusual friendship to be sure, but it’s one that has taken the internet by storm.

Interspecies Animal Friendships

We humans tend to think we’re the only animals that can create interspecies friendship. We have our pets—our dogs and cats, horses and birds, that we grow to love and care for. But if we can make friends with the members of the animal kingdom (and they can deign to like us in their turn) then it’s little wonder that they can make friends with each other, too. A rabbit can serve as a foster momma to cats. Turtles can grow to love their doggy brethren. Barn cats can fall hard for the horse in the next stall. Even a pet rat can make friends with a dog.

In fact, in many cases, it is advised that very social animals be kept with others, even if they are not the same species. Goats are social creatures who are often kept in paddocks with sheep, cows, horses or other livestock to keep them from becoming lonely. Rescuers often tell potential cat or guinea pig adopters that the little creatures should be taken up in pairs. And anyone who has kept a single bird can tell you how much socialization they need if they don’t have another bird to play with.

Though the duck in this video clearly has duck friends to hang out with on the farm, he far prefers the company of the Newfie. Do we blame him? No, no we do not.

A Star Couple

Biss and Olee’s adventures have so captivated people online that farmer Jessie Vallier has recently written a children’s book about their friendship, documenting their days and other shenanigans on their Oklahoma farm. It’s a sweet story that shows you that even though friends might seem very different, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a lot of love shared between them.

As long as Olee allows others to pet the dog, too.

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