Meet Dusty, the Australian Pet Kangaroo Who Thinks He's a Dog
— -- Dusty the kangaroo is considered a family pet to an Australian family in Esperance that rescued him as a baby from his mother's pouch when they found her dead on the side of the road in 2013.
Today, you can find Dusty, now 2, hopping around and in and out of Ashley Stewart's family home on a farm.
The friendly kangaroo actually thinks it's a dog, Stewart told ABC News today, adding Dusty is always following and playing with their two dogs, Lilly the Golden Retriever, 5, and Rosie the Border Collie, 11.
"Dusty acts just like a dog," he said. "Wherever the dogs go, he goes with them and does what they do. He sleeps together with them in a bed, play fights with them and likes to get pet and scratches, too."
Stewart added he and his wife and three kids believe Dusty thinks Lilly the Golden Retriever is his mother.
"They've got an especially close bond, and Dusty is very attached to her," he said. "He'll groom Lilly and even affectionately lick her."
The four-foot tall kangaroo is free to roam outside around the farm and graze, but he always comes back to his family, Steward added.
"Since kangaroos are a bit nocturnal, sometimes he'll wander and graze at night, but he always comes back and sleeps next to the dogs," he said. "When my children are home from boarding school, Dusty also likes to come into the house and sit in the lounge, and then he'll go outside and walk with the dogs."
And while Dusty doesn't quite know any tricks (yet), he does respond to his name when called and communicates with the family using gestures, Stewart said.
"Once, when I was going for a drive around the farm, we loaded the dogs in the bed of the truck and Dusty came up, appeared to look up at me like he wanted to tag along," he said. "So I let him hop on back, and we all went for a ride. He also sometimes comes up to you and puts his arm around you asking to be pet or scratched."
"He’s just a pet like any dog or cat, and yeah, he just happens to be a kangaroo," Stewart added.
