By Susan Bird From Care2

When an abandoned donkey and emu fell in love, it took a television bad guy to make sure they’d never have to be apart.

Rescue personnel found Jack, the donkey, and Diane, the emu, in a pen together on an abandoned farm in Kershaw, South Carolina. It quickly became clear that they could not be separated when they both cried and became inconsolable without the other.

In addition, Jack and Diane don’t get along with other donkeys or emus. They have to be housed in a pen by themselves.

These limitations prompted a difficult problem: how to find a home that would adopt both a donkey and emu — and keep them together, but separated from other animals. That’s a tall order, and it would take someone with substantial resources and a big heart.

Jack and Diane’s story went viral in early November 2018. Despite lots of interest, there wasn’t a perfect fit for the star-crossed duo. That is, not until actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife, actress Hilarie Burton, heard about the pair.

Morgan, best known as super-villain Negan on “The Walking Dead,” owns a rambling 50-acre farm with his wife in New York’s Hudson Valley. There, the couple has a veritable menagerie of animals, including cows, chickens and alpacas.

Morgan called Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, the facility caring for Jack and Diane, and offered to adopt them both. Yes, CWR is a bird rescue — but, to their credit, they allowed emu Diane to bring her bestie to their Charlotte, North Carolina, location while arrangements for their permanent home could be made.

Why did the group choose Jeffrey Dean Morgan out of all the potential adopters out there? It was simple, they said on Facebook:

[W]hen we do applications we do look for an adopter who stands out. In this case yes he stood out but we get a lot of people who just want free animals who can’t afford them. We didn’t have to ask the questions “can you afford these animals” it was a given they would be spoiled. Besides we knew they would be pets and no one would be capitalizing on their publicity. We also thought having them on a public page where you can get updates was a plus.

CWR also noted they “feel 100% great about [Jack and Diane’s] new home.” Morgan and Burton covered all of CWR’s expenses, paid an adoption fee and made a donation to the group. Clearly, the Morgans did this whole thing correctly from start to finish.

You can see several photos of Jack and Diane’s arrival on the Morgan farm on CWR’s Facebook page. The group says:

We just want to say that Jeffrey and Hilarie are amazing people. They were so hospitable to us today and it’s obvious the care and love that goes into the farm. Jack and Diane have the best of homes.

To see a special video of Jack and Diane settling in on Morgan’s farm, check out his Instagram account. Keep following to get regular updates on the sweet odd couple.

Yes, Negan is a baddie, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan has a heart of gold. Jack and Diane are set for life, thanks to the man with the barbed wire bat.

Photo credit:Jeffrey Dean Morgan/Instagram

For more on this story go to: https://www.care2.com/causes/adorable-emu-and-donkey-best-friends-find-their-forever-home-with-a-tv-actor.html