Some things just don’t mix; oil and water, cola and pop rocks. This is even true in the animal world. You’re not likely to see a dog, cat and rat getting along. That is, unless you live in Santa Barbara, California.

Walk down the streets of Santa Barbara and you’ll see something interesting. You’ll see a man with a dog. On top of the dog rides a cat. On top of the cat rides a rat. It’s a tower of animals that should be eating each other. But they’re getting along.

Gregory Pike trained the animals himself. His Rottweiler, Booger, had a litter of puppies. Pike introduced a kitten, Kitty, to the litter. Booger accepted the kitten as its own child. Pike raised the cat around small animals, like rats. Kitty accepts the rat, Mousey, as a sibling. Pike says, if they can get along, why can’t people?