Need a break from all the depressing news in the world? Then I have the story for you!
Meet Ingo, a Malinois with an unusual group of friends: owls. Since Ingo and his friends belong to a nature photographer, it’s hardly surprising that the photos of them are beautiful.
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Also, they’re adorable.
Tanja Brandt has always lived with animals as family.
Even though her family didn’t like animals very much, she would hide pets away from her parents.
After some false starts with average jobs like clerking in an office, she decided to pick up a camera and work with animals.
Tanja admits that she was a terrible photographer at first, but she practiced constantly.
She had just dogs at first, but eventually got her falconers license and began to care for owls and other birds of prey.
But it was when she rescued a tiny owl named Napoleon (Poldi) that she witnessed a surprising friendship.
Little Poldi had hatched days after his siblings, smaller and weaker than his sisters. Ingo is a large dog, whose breed is often chosen to work as German police dogs.
But the unlikely pair became best friends.
Once he’d learned to love Poldi, Ingo began making friends with all the owls.
But he was always the most protective of Poldi, whose tiny size and lack of wild instincts endangered him when they were out in nature.
Sadly, Poldi passed away in August 2019 after an accident.
Poldi had been playing with his children when his wing got caught outside the enclosure. He was rushed to a vet, but they couldn’t save him.
But I’m sure he’s up in owl heaven, glad that Ingo is still there to love and protect Finchen, Poldi’s mate, and their owl children.
If you’d like to see more of Tanja’s photography and peek into the magical adventures of Ingo and his family, be sure to follow them on Instagram @tanja_brandt .
