Thanks to social media, we have a never-ending supply of adorable pet videos. Right now, Barley and Louie have our full attention.
Meet the golden retriever and tiny white duck who have become unlikely best friends.
Some friendships make no sense on paper, and then you see them together and get it. Grace and Frankie from Grace and Frankie, Sheldon and Penny from The Big Bang Theory, Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens, and now Barley and Louie.
For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of seeing them pop up on their feed, this is the story of a golden retriever and Pekin duck who do almost everything together.
Their friendship has been featured in You Magazine, The Washington Post, CBS Evening News and Martha Stewart, while their videos have brought a dose of joy to social media feeds.
It started with Barley
In early 2024, Justin and Tori Cannarelli received difficult news. Their playful, goofy and beloved golden retriever, Barley, had epilepsy.
Medication helped control her seizures, but Barley changed.
She became quieter and more withdrawn. She simply seemed less like Barley.
“We thought, oh man, this medication we have to give her for the rest of her life,” Justin said. “So this is how she’s going to be.”
They were grateful Barley was okay, but they missed the dog she had been.
Then Louie arrived.
Enter Louie
In May 2024, a four-day-old Pekin duckling named Louie came home.
Justin had been looking for a duck for the garden centre he owned when he came across Louie on Facebook Marketplace.
Louie was a tiny, fluffy duckling barely bigger than a tennis ball. Instead of taking him to the garden centre, the family brought him home.
One member of the family immediately formed a connection with him.
Barley.
Soon, something started changing.
“She started smiling again,” Tori said. “She started wagging her tail. She started having personality again.”
Louie began following Barley everywhere, while Barley watched over the little duck like a big sister.
Louie didn’t seem to realise he was supposed to be a duck, while Barley seemed to forget she was too tired to play.
Peck by peck and lick by lick, they became best friends.
Barley and Louie become social media stars
Naturally, the family kept taking photographs and videos of the unusual pair.
Their friends encouraged them to share Barley and Louie with everyone else, leading to the creation of their Instagram account, @duckandadog.
They now have more than 250,000 followers.
Their online popularity has also given the Cannarellis an opportunity to support a cause closely connected to Barley.
Because her epilepsy journey is at the heart of Barley and Louie’s story, the family donates a portion of every purchase from the Duck and a Dog shop towards canine epilepsy research and awareness.
Barley and Louie’s friendship might have started unexpectedly, but one tiny duckling helped bring a much-loved golden retriever’s personality back.
And now hundreds of thousands of people get to watch their friendship grow.
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