“Felt his sadness”: dog started to take care of an orphaned foal

A dog named Zip lives at S & K Quarter Horses in Fayette, America, owned by Carla Swindle. A few years ago, a tragedy occurred there when one of the horses, Sandy, died, leaving a nine-day-old foal named Ty an orphan.

At that age, foals cannot survive without their mothers. It’s not even about feeding – that can be replaced by artificial milk – but about the warmth and care of the mother. Horses are social animals that need contact with their conspecifics. Females develop a deep bond with their young, and if for some reason the mother does not leave her foal, she becomes its most loyal protector.

The orphan boy Ty found it very difficult to accept the death of his mother. He lay on the straw without reacting to anything. Seeing this, Zip simply lay down next to him and silently supported him. According to Carla, it was as if the dog could feel the foal’s pain and was sincerely trying to help.

Ty had lost his mother but gained a close friend. Zip became his mentor and protector, and in some ways even replaced his parents. Since then, Zip and Ty have always spent time together. According to Carla, who raised a whole generation of foals, this was the first time this had ever happened on a farm.

Although Zip was always interested in the newborns, he had never been this close to them, never licked them, never laid next to them, never warmed them with his body.

Zip and Ty met every morning when Carla opened the barn to let the stallion out for fresh air.

For the first few weeks, the colt refused to come out of the stall, so Zip just laid down next to him and spent the whole day with him.

Now Ty is doing well. He has developed into a happy, healthy colt. He is active and spends a lot of time with his peers in the pasture.

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