The heart-warming story of how a grieving mother dog found comfort in helping raise orphaned kittens has struck a chord with animal lovers around the world.
Georgia would have been an incredible mom but the chance of raising her own pups was tragically taken away from her when she went into premature labor and lost not one – but all three of her pups.
The German Shepard-mixed breed was rescued by a non-profit animal welfare organization in Phoenix, Arizona. Found heavily pregnant and surviving on scraps near the US-Mexico border, it’s amazing that she survived on her own for so long.
Just days after being rescued, Georgia went into labor and although she had the best possible team around to help her, she suffered complications and her entire litter died.
Georgia was devastated and frantically searched for her babies – even tearing up the mattress she was lying on, trying to find her babies.
Caregivers gave her a stuffed animal with an artificial heartbeat to simulate her babies while they put out a call on social media to see if any animals needed a lactating mother dog.
Two days later, three tiny orphans in need of a mommy arrived. But they weren’t pups – they were kittens!
Initially, Georgia’s caregivers were worried that she may not accept a litter of crying felines but decided to at least try. They introduced the kittens “gently” – one at a time, allowing Georgia to sniff each of the babies. Her maternal drive immediately took over and she allowed them to snuggle close to her.
The new family had a few initial teething problems. Georgia’s milk production had decreased and so two of the babies had to be bottle-fed for the first few days. The third kitten sadly passed away due to unrelated complications.
Both the surviving kittens were given names: Graffiti and Gumball, while a third orphan – a sprightly orange kitten named Goober – was added to the mix. They all grew and developed on track, under the protective paw of Georgia.
Georgia has since been adopted into a loving family. And the best news is that she was rehomed with one of her kittens!