Three cheetah companion dogs are retiring from the Cincinnati Zoo

CINCINNATI (Gray News) – Three dogs who spent their lives as cheetah companions at the Cincinnati Zoo have retired from their positions, the zoo announced.

The Cincinnati Zoo said Moose, Remus and Daisy are retiring after years of working with the cheetahs.

When the dogs were still pups, they were each paired with a cheetah around the same age and raised together as surrogate siblings.

Each of the dogs is expected to be adopted this year to live out their retired lives as pets in the home of a zoo employee.

According to staff, the dogs are only needed until the cheetahs reach adulthood, about 2 years old.

The zoo said cheetahs are solitary animals and prefer to be alone when they reach adulthood, so as they grow older they eventually grow further away from their canine companions.

Some dogs have continued to play with their cheetahs past that point in their lives, but the play decreases as the cheetahs get older.

After years of hard work and play, the dogs have earned a relaxing retirement, the zoo said.

The zoo said cheetahs usually separate from their siblings and mother once they reach adulthood to live on their own as adults. Female cheetahs in particular do not like interacting with other cheetahs.

As part of the cat ambassador program, the cheetahs behave similarly to their African counterparts and are happy to be lonely.

At the zoo, the cheetahs only interact with their trainers.

Dogs tend to be playful their entire lives, while cheetahs are not. When paired, the cheetahs and dogs usually don’t spend as much time together as they get older. Ultimately, the dogs prefer to be with people, so they are adopted and allowed to spend the rest of their lives with loving owners, just like other family dogs.

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