The shelter said the dog was searching frantically for her puppies, all of whom had died during premature labor.A dog that lost her litter of pups adopted three kittens to make up for the loss, and a video of her playing with the kittens is being widely shared on social media.
The Sunshine Dog Rescue, based in Phoenix, shared how the dog named ‘Georgia’ had been very anxious and stressed after losing a litter that she had birthed. However, after she became the unlikely adoptive mother to the three orphaned kittens, she was reportedly happy again.
The shelter said initially they tried to calm the distressed mother with “a stuffed toy that has a heartbeat”. When that didn’t work they put out a call on social media to check if there were any animal babies that needed a lactating mother. Although they failed to find any puppies, they were connected to a litter of orphaned kittens.
The shelter said that the dog instantly bonded with the kittens, but the kittens struggled to latch on to their ‘new mother’ to feed. One of the cats also passed away, but three of the kittens survived. The shelter said that after bottle feeding the kittens for a few days, all of them have taken to their new mother.
The shelter highlighted that the dog is nursing the kittens, but they are still being bottle-fed as she isn’t able to produce enough milk. However, the dog is doing better.
Mother Georgia with her three babies kittens Graffiti (grey), Gumball (tan) and Goober (orange).
Georgia, an Australian Shepherd mix breed, was found living at a gas station near the US-Mexico border by Rocky Point. The shelter quickly realised after rescuing her that she was pregnant, but none of the pups survived.
The rescue’s executive director Anita Osa said that Georgia was “heartbroken” after waking up from her emergency C-section and discovering that all her pups weren’t there.
The shelter posted photos seeking help after they found her tearing her mattress up looking for the pups.
“I’ve never had a mom dog lose a whole litter before,” Anita Osa, founder of Sunshine Dog Rescue, told ABC 15. “The best way I could describe it was she was frantic. It was so sad, she was looking for those babies”.
Speaking about the kittens, she said “They do nurse on her. She cleans them and everything but the bond is strong. It’s really something to see, she protects those kittens just as if they were her babies.”
All the animals have been adopted and after spending this month in the shelter will go to their new homes.
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