(UPI) A North Carolina animal shelter is trying to find a new home for an unusual pair of bonded animals -- a dog and a goat.

The Wake County Animal Center said in a news release that "best friends" Cinnamon the goat and Felix the dog were brought to the shelter by City of Raleigh Animal Control on March 13, after their previous owner was no longer able to care for them.

Shelter director Jennifer Federico said staff were surprised to see the bond between the two animals, especially considering how often they had seen the aftermath of dog attacks on goats.

"That's not a normal combination," Federico told WTVD-TV. Usually, we have dogs attacking goats so this is just a very unusual group.

Federico said Cinnamon is so attached to Felix that she will cry when the two animals are separated.

She said officials are currently looking at rescue options, but will consider adoption by members of the public if a new home isn't found by March 31. She said the shelter is determined to find the duo a home together.

"In many cases of interspecies friendship, the species are not normally seen together, and sometimes, one is of a species that ordinarily preys on the other in nature -- whatever the reason for these two bonding, it's clear what would be best for their well-being is to keep them together," she said.

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