Apollo is best friends with Rocky the horse and even takes an occasional ride on his buddy. Apollo is a 3-year-old Australian Shepherd-German Shepherd mix and both he and Rocky share life with Maria Batrez of Fullerton, CA. Apollo is a member of the AKC Canine Partners program for all dogs, including mixed-breeds.

Dogs can be friends with livestock, like horses, but owners should always take safety precautions when dealing with canines and livestock. All interactions should be carefully supervised.

Dogs have a natural prey instinct to chase animals like cattle, horses and sheep. This can be intensified when they are in groups, and the pack instinct is heightened.

Always have your dogs on leash near livestock and do not allow them to bark, jump at, or lunge at the animals. Not only can dogs scare the pastoral animals, dogs can be seriously injured by a kick or head butt by the much larger animals.