A pet dog has taken on motherly duties for eight orphaned piglets after adopting them as her own.
And Treasure the Boxer dog seems to be taking motherhood in her stride after she was able to produce milk to feed the baby piggies.
The surrogate mother, who lives on the Gold Coast with her owners, incredibly took no time to adjust to her foster children after her maternal instincts kicked in.
Owner Wesley Trevor said the animals struck up a heartwarming relationship shortly after the pigs arrived at their home in poor health.
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Treasure the Boxer dog (pictured) has taken on motherly duties for eight orphaned piglets
Owner Wesley Trevor said the animals struck up a heartwarming relationship shortly after the pigs arrived at their home in poor health
Treasure the Boxer dog forms an unlikely bond with eight piglets
‘When we got the piglets about two weeks ago, they were all covered in mud and we were cleaning and washing them,’ he told the Today show.
‘One of the things we did was we rubbed oil into their bodies after we’d wash them, Treasure got in and licked the oil off, and that’s how when the whole thing kicked off.
‘She loved them since day one.’
Mr Trevor – who brought Treasure home as a stray around 18 months ago – said he was unaware of whether the dog was a mother previously – but she was able to lactate as soon as the piglets started sucking on her.
Treasure the Boxer dog becomes a mother to eight piglets
Mr Trevor said Treasure was able to lactate as soon as the piglets started sucking on her
The family said Treasure quickly bonded with the other pets before she started nursing the eight piglets
‘She’s a stray so we don’t know what her history was before she came to us. But there was a little bit of something there,’ he said.
‘And when they started to suck, that’s when the milk production happened. She loves them dearly.’
Speaking to Today Tonight, the family said Treasure quickly bonded with the other pets before she started nursing the eight piglets.
‘I was scared she [Treasure] might see them as a meat on legs but no, she didn’t. SHe loved them, and licked them clean and looked after them,’ Mr Trevor said.