Pregnant Dog Kept Malnourished Toddler Alive By Nursing Him

A pregnant dog is being considered a hero in Chile, because she was the only thing keeping a severely malnourished child alive. Cosmopolitan reports that the dog, known as Reina, was recently discovered in a mechanic’s workshop nursing the malnourished two-year-old child. This heroic act committed by a four-legged-friend is now going viral, worldwide.

The toddler had reportedly gone missing at some point, and was discovered by one of his neighbors. He was so malnourished that the only nourishment he was given was the breast milk. The pregnant dog took the child as her own, knowing instinctively that the child was starving. Yibada reports that the child had been abandoned by his parents, who are heavy drinkers.

Authorities aren’t sure if the father of the malnourished tot shares any blame in his abandonment. However, the mother of the the child showed up at the hospital, where he was taken to be treated for lice, various wounds and severe malnourishment. She was reportedly drunk when she showed up to see him, but was not taken into police custody. Reports cite that she was not arrested because she “didn’t injure the child,” even though she had abandoned him, leaving him for dead. Had the dog Reina not been there to nurse the boy with her milk, he would likely be dead.

This is not the first time an animal has taken part in saving a human being. Mother Nature Network reported in 2010 that a young man had been raised by monkeys from the age of four-years-old. John Ssebunya became famously known as the Ugandan Monkey Boy. The Daily Contributor reported in 2009 that a three-year-old Russian child named Madina was discovered to had been raised by wild dogs. The child was feral, reportedly preferring to growl like a dog, but she did know two words when she was discovered and brought back into society: Yes and no. Also, in 1845, a young girl was discovered with a pack of wolves who were attacking a herd of goats in Mexico. The girl became known as Lobo Wolf Girl of Devil’s River. She was captured at one point, but was able to escape. She wasn’t seen again in the wild until more than a decade later.

In this latest case, the boy who was found suckling on a pregnant dog will survive his ordeal. He is currently in the custody of child services in Chile, where he will hopefully be given to a family who will not abandon him over their need to get drunk.

[Photo: Screenshot from YouTube]