Dogs have a much more intense pregnancy than humans, having to give birth to a litter of five, six or even more puppies. Naturally, in this litter, there is always a smaller, weaker pup, known as the runt.
Being the runt of the litter has its disadvantages. Being smaller and weaker, it’s hard for the runt pup to compete for milk from his mother. His mom might also ignore him, choosing to focus on her healthier pups.
But this isn’t always the case, as one extra-caring dog momma is here to prove.
Daisy Duke is a white lab who gave birth to a litter of eight pups – four white and four black.
One of these pups was a runt, and Daisy sensed this. Instead of pushing the runt pup to the side, however, she made sure to give her some extra attention.
A video shared on YouTube shows Daisy hanging out in her doggy bed with her little ones.
Eight pups is quite a handful to deal with, but the healthy pups look like they’re getting on just fine, and are huddled up together as they adjust to life outside the womb.
The runt pup, however, is a little distance from the rest of her siblings. She’s much smaller and skinnier, and she stumbles about, looking lost.
Luckily, momma Daisy is on hand to give her pup plenty of kisses and show her that she’s just as loved as her brothers and sisters.
She makes sure to have some one-on-one time with her little one while the rest of the pups are asleep.
This way, she knows her runt pup is getting the nutrients she needs, and she doesn’t have to fight with the others for her milk.
Daisy plans this every day, picking up the runt with her mouth and carrying her carefully away from the others to feed.
It’s a tough time for all of the pups, at just three days old, who are still learning to walk and eat.
Luckily, Daisy is a natural-born mom and takes her mothering duties very seriously! She clearly takes pride in all her pups and wants them to grow up to be strong and healthy – especially her runt pup.
The video has amassed more than 8 million views on YouTube, and people can’t get enough of Daisy the supermom.
Though it was posted in August of 2019, the video is still being discovered by animal-lovers today.
One of the owners of the YouTube channel shared a much-anticipated 2020 update about the runt in the comments.
He wrote:
“The lil runt is fine.
Her name is Lucy.
She has her own Instagram.
She has her own YouTube channel.”
Lucy’s channel is called Life With Labrador Lucy, and it’s everything you’d hope it to be.
It’s packed with videos of Lucy playing with her brothers, taking a shower, celebrating her first birthday, and eating peanut butter.
Obviously, Daisy did a great job in looking after her little one in her early stages, and now she’s happy, healthy, and just as boisterous as her brothers and sisters by the looks of things!
If you need something to “aw” at today, you’ll find it here. Scroll down and press “play” to give the adorable video a watch.
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