A Little Dog Sticks His Head Almost Inside A Lion’s Mouth — But This Video Is Not What It Seems

The dachshund in this video is not as crazy as you think he is. There is actually a reason that the little dog is apparently risking life and limb — or its own head anyway — to give these wet, sloppy dog kisses to a 500-pound, majestic lion.

And once you know the story of Milo — that’s the dachshund — and Bone Digger, which is a pretty awesome name for a lion, this video will transform in your mind from insane to adorable, and maybe one of the most remarkable examples of inter-species friendships yet captured on tape.

The story takes place at Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, where director Joe Schreibvogel — son of the zoos founders — took in Bone Digger when the big guy was just a cub. But the lion has a genetic bone disease that make sit hard for him to walk.

That was six years ago, when Bone Digger was just four weeks old, and Milo was two years. But the little dachshund, and Schreibvogel’s other dachshunds, sensed that the lion needed some help. So Milo took to fetching Bone Digger’s food for him — and cleaning his teeth when the big cat is finished eating.

That’s what you see in this video. Basically, this is a dachshund brushing a lion’s teeth for him.

Sadly, the zoo has had something of a checkered history, with allegations that animals have sometimes been mistreated. Schreibvogel denies those allegations and has made reforms that allowed the zoo to regain its license, after briefly losing its permission to operate.

Hopefully, all turns out well at the Oklahoma-based zoo for all of the animals but especially for this lovable lion and his little buddies.