Arizona's Sunshine Dog Rescue took in one soon-to-be mum, an Australian Shepherd mix named Georgia after they found her living by a petrol station near the Mexican border.
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The dog rescue took in the pooch before realising she was heavily pregnant and would soon be dropping a litter. But tragically, Georgia's litter was born premature and none of the pups survived.
Founder of the Sunshine Dog Rescue, Anita Osa, told CNN:
I've never had a mom dog lose a whole litter before. 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.
Wanting to do her best to help the grieving dog, Anita put out a plea for any puppies that Georgia could help take care of. However, what she ended up with was a trio of kittens named Graffiti, Gumball and Goober. Anita continued:
I introduced them to her gently. 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. I think for the kittens, they have no idea that Georgia is a dog.
And even if Georgia knows that the babies aren't hers she certainly doesn't seem to mind as the maternal dog has created such a special bond with her kittens and has even started feeding them. Anita stated:
They do nurse on her. 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.
Sadly, one of the kittens who was already injured at birth has passed away but that still leaves two little bundles of joy for mumma-Georgia to take care of.
How cute!