Dog and Goat Besties Adopted Together by North Carolina Family

Felix the dog and Cinnamon the goat have found their forever home together.

The best friends first stole hearts in March when they arrived as a bonded pair at the Wake County Animal Center in North Carolina.

“Unfortunately, their owner was hospitalized and could no longer take care of them. Animal Services brought them to us for temporary housing, which turned into us being granted ownership,” Meagan Thomas, a community outreach manager for the Wake County Government, tells PEOPLE.

It was clear to the government-run shelter that Felix and Cinnamon were not interested in being split up the day the animals arrived.

“When our team was doing the intake exam and vaccines for Felix, Cinnamon wouldn’t leave him. She would call if we tried to remove her,” says Jennifer Federico, a veterinarian and the animal services director for the Wake County Government.

Unable to fully meet Cinnamon’s long-term needs at its shelter for cats, dogs, and small critters, and unwilling to separate the unlikely buddies, the Wake County Animal Center put a call out to its rescue partners for help.

“We wanted to do what was in the best interest of Felix and Cinnamon. We had local rescues say they would take them. However, it would mean placing them in another shelter environment — which wasn’t ideal for Cinnamon,” Federico says. “We had farms step up for Cinnamon – but they couldn’t take Felix due to other dogs they already had. We had to find the right place and rescue.”

The Mr. Mo Project, one of the Wake County Animal Center’s long-time rescue partners, found the right place.

“We respect that bonds can be formed between any species, and we celebrate that. Dogs have formed friendships with dolphins; why not a goat?” Chris & Mariesa Hughes, the founders of Mr. Mo Project, say.

While Mr. Mo Project is a nonprofit based in New York, they work with fosters across the country.

“We knew that we had the perfect foster who owns a farm with goats and has fostered for us 4 or 5 times,” the founders added.

The Mr. Mo Project foster, Jacquie Bankes, was happy to take in Cinnamon and Felix and offer them a permanent home at her North Carolina farm.

Since moving onto Bankes’ farm at the end of March, Cinnamon and Felix have adapted swimmingly. Bankes says the duo is learning tricks and are as inseparable as ever.

“They are adjusting well! Felix is like the big brother. He tolerates his rambunctious little sister Cinnamon who wants to spend every second with him,” Bankes shares, adding that the animals have a future of “lots of love and spoiling” to look forward to.