A one-year-old rescued Labrador became an unlikely father figure after his owner Rachel brought home a group of seven orphaned kittens.
Rachel is a head nurse at the animal rescue charity Battersea in southwest London.
The rescue pup was given a forever home by Rachel and he has paid it forward by taking the homeless kittens under his wing.
A few weeks ago these kittens were discovered at the side of the road with no mother in sight. They were just two-weeks-old at that time.
At this age, they were unable to fend for themselves and so the person rushed them to the rescue charity for an emergency veterinary examination.
A team of vets examined the kittens and found they were hungry but overall had good health.
Soon after, Rachel offered to take the kittens home and act as a foster carer until they were a little older and ready for adoption.
As soon as Rachel bought them home, the pup, who was a former resident of Battersea, instinctively adopted them like one of his own and started giving them love and care. He helped his owner raise the kittens.
Rachel said these kittens needed guidance and care right from the start-from bottle feeding to learning to climb and Bertie has helped them throughout. He has made them “confident” and “sociable”.
She further said she is proud of her pup the way he has cared for the kittens. He is less than two years old but is “incredibly patient and nurturing” when most dogs are not at this age.