Grieving Dog Adopts Orphaned Kittens And Treats Them Like Her Own Babies

When rescuers discovered Georgia living in a gas station near the U.S.-Mexico border, nobody knew she was pregnant. However, it quickly became clear that the Australian Shepherd mix was born to be a mom.

“Georgia couldn’t wait to get into her whelping pool,” wrote Sunshine Dog Rescue on Facebook. The Phoenix-based animal rescue had been surprised to learn that their newest intake was pregnant, but nevertheless began helping this gorgeous girl prepare for her big day. “She isn’t due for approximately 2 more weeks,” they wrote. Even so, the adorable mom-to-be had eagerly hopped into her birthing tub.

Photo: Facebook/Sunshine Dog Rescue

Alas, the expecting dog’s maternal bliss would be short-lived. Although Georgia was clearly meant to be a mama dog, years of hard street living had dashed Georgia’s dream of delivering healthy puppies. When the dog went into premature labor, rescuers rushed her to the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency c-section.

“After giving birth to the first two pups (who passed shortly after birth), her labor stalled for about 3 hours,” rescuers wrote, recalling how a third stillborn puppy was born in the car on the way to the vet. “At the time of surgery, she still had two unborn pups that were not viable and they passed away. Going into premature labor gave her babies no chance of living outside of her womb.”

Photo: Facebook/Sunshine Dog Rescue

But the most heartbreaking part was how Georgia kept looking for her puppies, clearly not understanding they had all passed away.

“I’ve never had a mom dog lose a whole litter before,” Sunshine Dog Rescue’s founder, Anita Osa, told ABC15 Arizona. “The best way I could describe it was she was frantic. It was so sad, she was looking for those babies. She tore up the toddler mattress we had her on, trying to find her babies.”

Photo: Facebook/Sunshine Dog Rescue

This heartbreaking scene led Osa to ask her rescue network if anybody had any rescued orphans who might be in need of a mom. As fate would have it, somebody did. Georgia was finally presented with three tiny kittens desperate for a mother’s love, even if that love came from a dog.

“I introduced them to her gently,” Osa recalled. “I first bought one out and let her sniff it, and she seemed to accept it, so I brought the others out. It’s amazing to see how she instantly calmed down.”

Photo: Facebook/Sunshine Dog Rescue

Osa doubts Georgia’s new babies are aware their new mom isn’t a cat, but even if they do, they clearly don’t mind. “They do nurse on her,” Osa said. “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.”

See how well this rescued dog cares for orphaned kittens in the video below!