Western Australian kangaroo considers itself a dog and lives happily with its farm dog companion

Pet 8:24am, 20 November 2025 117

Two-year-old kangaroos Dusty and Ashley Stewart live with their family on a farm in Wittenoom Hills, Western Australia, 60 kilometers northeast of Esperance.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Stewart rescued the baby kangaroo after its mother was hit and killed by a car in a traffic accident. "We didn't know if he was going to survive, but we fed him food and of course he's survived since then," Stewart said. "He lives in the backyard, and we actually had to buy a third dog bed for him to sleep on because he kept squeezing into the other dog's bed." Stewart said his family's golden retriever Lilly and border collie Rosie both love Dusty the kangaroo.

He said that Dusty thought Lilly was his mother and always had to comb Lilly’s dog hair. They are always together, and if Lilly goes outside the yard, Dusty has to follow her.

Jump up and down on the fence until you let it out and can go with Lilly.

In order to prevent Dusty from getting lost, Stewart also put a dog collar on the little kangaroo.

"When he was little, we let him out during the day and came back at night and locked him in the backyard. Because kangaroos wouldn't make any noise, they just sat quietly, and we couldn't find him, so we had to use a flashlight in the dark."

Stewart said, "So I got him a collar and put reflective tape on it, and it would shine under the light of the flashlight, so I could find him."