Tales of Doggy Devotion

Dogs are rightly celebrated for their loyal, loving natures. And we all know that the right dog with the right owner can be a match made in heaven, with years and years of mutual love and enjoyment to follow. But even we were surprised to discover the following tales of doggy devotion – particularly as the objects of the dogs’ affections aren’t people. In fact, they’re not even other cats! Which just goes to prove that man’s best friend is quite happy sharing his and her boundless affection with other species, too!

Ulrok and Beldarin

According to the story, Mowgli was raised by wolves, and so were Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. But whoever heard of a tiny wolf cub being raised by a Rottweiler? Perhaps it’s not so surprising given that all dogs are descended from wolves, but when four-day-old Beldaran was rejected by her parents in the US, big boy Ulrok stepped in. He couldn’t nurse her, obviously (that side of things was handled by obliging humans), but he could play with her, watch over her and make sure she stayed safe in the animal sanctuary where both live. ‘It’s a true love story,’ says the sanctuary director. Quite.

The pooch and the pandas

This heart-warming tale comes from China. When a pair of red panda cubs born at Taiyuan Zoo were abandoned by their mother, a local farmer’s dog was hastily pressed into action. After three weeks, the cubs had doubled in size, clearly benefitting from the affection – and milk – lavished on them by their new mother. Fortunately, unlike their giant black-and-white cousins, red pandas only grow to the size of a large cat, so the little dog needn’t worry about over-exuberant displays of affection in return!

Like cats and dogs…

Also in China, a female dog stepped in to nurse a litter of kittens after their mother died.  The dog and mother cat had lived together and always got on very well, leading their owner to speculate that ‘the kittens’ cries may have stirred the dog’s maternal nature, since it too had recently given birth. It volunteered to take over and feed the kittens of its old friend.’

Tiger tale

When a mother tiger at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia tried to eat her own cubs, zoo keepers immediately stepped in to rescue the newborns. But what then? As with any true emergency, the police were notified, and immediately sent their best dog, Rea, to the zoo to deal with the situation. As a new mother herself, Rea was perfectly placed to rear the tiny tigers. Although she’s no doubt grateful newborn tigers do not have teeth!

Telling porkies

Remember the story of Babe, the lovable piglet who turned himself into a sheep-pig? Well, here’s a real-life story of a farm dog raising a baby runt. Katjinga, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, adopted little Paulinchen, a two-week-old pot-bellied pig, in Hoerstel, Germany, cleaning and feeding her as if she was one of her own puppies.

Monkeying around

When an infant monkey was orphaned after its mother was killed by a hunter, it was taken in and cared for by monks at the Tung Luang Buddhist temple in northern Thailand. Before long, though, the temple dog, Tan, had taken over caring duties, letting the little monkey ride on his back and even sharing his food with him.

So next time you hear anyone talking about how loving dogs are, see if they can top these stories. And if your dog has adopted anything unusual, we’d love to hear about it…