IT WAS an unlikely pairing - but Sir Francis the lame duck and Chico the Staffordshire bull terrier are now inseparable.
Chico took the drake under his powerful "wing" when it started being bullied by other ducks at Selby Animal Sanctuary.
Sanctuary owner Joan Scott said Sir Francis had come in for a bit of rough treatment from his fellow ducks after damaging a leg.
But he had now found a true friend in Chico, a four-year-old rescued dog.
Mrs Scott said Sir Francis had sought refuge in the next door garden of her assistant and Chico's owner, Kate Gregory.
She said: "When the other ducks start bullying him, he makes a bee-line for Kate's garden and sits with Chico on a rug on the doorstep.
"Sir Francis knows he's untouchable there and they love to snuggle up together.
"He follows Chico all over the place and they even drink out of the same bowl."
Updated: 09:04 Tuesday, March 26, 2002
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