A sweet dog named Milo was dealt a rough hand in life. The dog was living as a stray near the border of Arizona and Mexico when she was found by a rescue group called Sunshine Dog Rescue.
The rescue group took Milo in, and they quickly realized she was pregnant.
The rescuers took care of Milo and helped her get ready to give birth. Unfortunately, though, Milo went into labor prematurely. Sadly, none of her puppies made it.
Milo was devastated. Anita Osa, the founder of Sunshine Dog Rescue, watched as Milo ran around, looking everywhere for her puppies. It was clear Milo had a strong maternal instinct, and Anita knew just what to do to make her heart whole.
Anita posted on social media asking if anyone had puppies who had lost their mom. She thought Milo could adopt them.
Anita started getting responses — but they were all from people who had motherless kittens, not puppies.
“I got a lot of people that had kittens, but I couldn’t find any puppies,” Anita said. “So I thought, ‘Well, you know this could work.”
Anita took in three kittens who had lost their mom. She then brought Milo in to meet them. She had Milo sniff their carrier, and when Milo didn’t show any signs of being aggressive, Anita introduced her to the first kitten. Milo sniffed the kitten and then let him nurse.
“When I felt comfortable, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll bring out another kitten,” Anita said.
Soon, all three kittens were nursing on Milo. Milo was so happy to have the kittens to care for.
Anita also bottle-fed the kittens to supplement Milo’s milk. Milo loved the kittens, and she became particularly close with one kitten, Gumball. She wouldn’t let Gumball out of her sight.
The kittens grew up, and Milo started weaning them. Once they were weaned, Anita began looking for forever homes for the kittens and Milo. Two of the kittens went to a forever home together.
Then, a man named David ended up adopting Milo. David lived with his sister, and she adopted Gumball!
Gumball and Milo are now settled into their forever home. They’re so happy to be together.
After seeing this video, you may be wondering, why do dog moms take care of kittens?
According to Rover, this happens because of a female dog’s natural maternal instincts. Psychologist Stanley Coren dove more into the subject in an interview with Rover:
“All mammals have certain pheromones—simply biological scents—they give off, and they have a certain communication value,” Dr. Coren explains. “Pheromones indicate if an animal is young and often we find female dogs respond to that and start to mother these animals very much as if they were their own pups.”
Milo is such a good mom, and we’re so glad she and Gumball get to spend their lives together! What a happy ending for all involved.
Check out a video about Milo below.
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