Dogs are such caring animals and have such strong maternal instincts. Mama dogs have a lot of love to give, even to young ones that aren’t their own children — or even the same species.
Like one sweet rescue dog, who acts as a surrogate mom for foster kittens in need of love.
Susan Hicks, from San Diego, California, rescued her pitbull mix Ginger in 2018 from a shelter, saving her life when the dog was expecting puppies. “They were going to euthanize her when she was pregnant,” Susan told The Dodo. “And so, I said I would take her.”
Susan took Ginger home, and the dog soon gave birth to a litter of puppies. Susan worked hard to get all the puppies adopted, but when it came time to find a home for Ginger, she couldn’t part ways with the mama dog.
“I just couldn’t give her up,” she said.
Ginger found her forever home — and with her own litter out of the house, she soon found she had a lot of love left to give.
So when Susan brought home a litter of feral cats to foster, Ginger stepped up to be their guardian.
“Ginger was wonderful at just calming them down and showing them it was okay,” Susan said. “As they trusted her, more and more they would come to her.” Susan was amazed as the foster kittens felt so comfortable they even tried nursing from the dog.
Ever since then, Ginger has acted as a loving caretaker to the foster kittens that Susan takes in. The kittens, who are often scared and shy when they arrive, find warmth and comfort in the big dog.
“Ginger is like a living, breathing, snoring body pillow for these kittens,” Susan told The Dodo.
Not only does Ginger provide some love and comfort, she helps the kittens get adopted by acclimating them to dogs.
“People will reach out to me saying, ‘I want one of your kittens because I know that they’re good with dogs,’” Susan explained.
Ginger has come a long way since first getting rescued from euthanasia, and Susan says it’s like the dog has decided to pay it forward by helping other pets.
“She’s helping other animals, and calming them down and helping them get homes, too,” Susan said. “She’s giving back in her own way.”
It’s so sweet to see this caring mama dog looking after these kittens. It’s clear they need her love as much as she needs them.
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