Yorkshire Times
Voice of the North
Hannah Russell
Features Writer
4:22 PM 22nd May 2017

Friendship Comes In All Shapes And Sizes...

Alfie and Hannah
Alfie and Hannah
I have never been particularly strict with my pets where they have to get along with the same species. I've always been open to the fact that my guinea pigs and rabbits might be good friends and that Alfie and Sasha my German Sheppard could play together if they wanted.

Over the years I've found that the saying 'friendship comes in all shapes and sizes' is true, they really do. Sasha and Alfie have always been good friends from the word go, they are similar in size so maybe that has something to do with it!

They both love playing with footballs and you often find Sasha sticking her head through the fence to lick Alfie's nose which I think is totally sweet.

I sometimes walk down the fields with Alfie and Sasha and they end up chasing each other, which probably wouldn't look great from an on- looker's perspective, but I know they are just good friends.

Hannah with Alfie and Sasha
Hannah with Alfie and Sasha
In a morning Sasha wines by Alfie's stable door waiting for him to come out and although Alfie has 3 field companions, Badger, Paddy and Pepper, I think he enjoys spending time with Sasha the most.

There are some amazing articles online about how different species have become best friends over the years. For example I was reading about a dog and an elephant that are the best of friends and spend every moment together.

It gets me wondering about why they became friends and the communication between them!

Scientists say that animals communicate through body language but if a dog doesn't understand an elephant's body language how do they know what one another is thinking... personally I think they are more intelligent than we think!

I think the phrase 'Friendship comes in all shapes and sizes' has an amazing meaning. It reminds me of starting school for the first time, or college or even a new job. You never really know who you're going to meet and it can be really hard trying to fit in to a new environment and place you're not confident in!

If you've ever heard the phrase 'opposites attract' then you just might be able to relate.

You can be tall and your friends can be short, you can all like different colours and have different hobbies, but this is what brings you together. When you know people with different interests you usually learn more and have individual experiences and this is what makes your friendship strong and long lasting.

Here is a quote I love by Cecelia Ahern:

"Friends come in all different shapes and sizes... The important thing is not what we look like but the role we play in our best friend's life. Friends choose certain friends because that's the kind of company they are looking for at that specific time, not because they're the correct height, age or have the right hair colour. It's not always the case but often there's a reason why..."