It's heartbreaking when any mom, even an animal mom, loses her babies. That's what happened to one sweet pup named Georgia. The pregnant Australian shepherd mix went into premature labor and lost her three puppies. The Sunshine Dog Rescue in Phoenix, Arizona, is currently caring for her.
"Going into premature labor gave her babies no chance of living outside of her womb," the organization wrote in a post on Facebook. "While my heart hurts for the puppies that never got to run and play, my heart is so very sad for Georgia. She is looking for her babies and it is heartbreaking to watch."
Georgia continued to look for her puppies after they died. She was frantic, and her caregivers gave her a stuffed animal with an artificial heartbeat to simulate her babies. But then Georgia got a second chance at motherhood just a few days later when the organization took in three orphaned kittens.
Georgia the dog was grieving her puppies terribly when she met her new "babies." The rescue organization took in three motherless newborn kittens and introduced them to the pup. Georgia was instantly smitten.
"She LOVES them," the rescue shared on Facebook. "So far we have been able to get one to latch and are bottle feeding until the other two figure it out too."
It looked like it was the sweetest scene. Georgia took to the kittens and loved on them day and night. She snuggled them and treated them just like they were her own babies. It was almost like it was fate that the mom and babies would find one another.
Sadly, even though Georgia was doting on the kittens, one of the three died. It can be tough for kittens to lose their mother so young. But Georgia is taking great care of the two surviving kittens. "Georgia is extremely focused on her two seemingly healthy babies and is doing really well. Bless this little family ❤️," the rescue shared.
In what has to be an amazing sight, one of the kittens actually latched onto Georgia! The kittens were named Graffiti and Gumball. An orange kitten was added to the mix, as well, named Goober. "They have all opened their eyes, are gaining weight (now weigh 7-8 ounces each), and seem very content with mama," read an August 20 update.
It's such a happy tale of an unlikely family that came together when a family was needed. And in truth, that's how so many families come together. Not all families are blood-related. Seems like that goes for animal families, too, not just people.
Anita Osa is the executive director of the Sunshine Dog Rescue. She told KXTV that she was "certainly unsure" about Georgia taking in the cats as her own, but, of course, after watching what happened, she was so pleased and would do it again in a heartbeat.
"I had seen other species nurse another species before, so I thought 'worst-case scenario she doesn't take to them and I have some kittens I need to tend to myself,'" she added.
While it's so sad that Georgia lost her own babies, she definitely made room in her heart for these sweet kittens. Not only have they received excellent care from the rescue center, they've had an adoptive mother to take care of them and help them grow strong. It's truly amazing to see how compassionate mama animals can be!
It's such a beautiful story about a mother's love and how deep it goes — regardless of the species. Georgia stepped in, just like so many moms do on the regular, to care for babies in need. The pictures are certainly amazing, but the story and the real-life impact of this loving pup are even more incredible.
