Our Blended Family: Boxer Mom + Baby Bird

Adoption is more popular today than it was even a decade ago, especially interracial adoption. But what about interspecies adoption?

Sure, humans adopt animals like dogs and cats all the time, but what about a dog adopting another species? Your first guess may be something like a cat, but you couldn’t be farther from the truth! In this interracial or blended family, this dog adopts a baby bird!

Rusty, a two-year-old Boxer is a dog that is sweet by nature and loved by her mommy. She has a Facebook page where her fans can see pictures of her daily. She has now adopted her own baby, which so happens to be a baby chick which they have named Birdie (ironic, isn’t it?)

Rusty and Birdie met after a terrible accident. Birdie had fallen from her nest and had injured her wings, making her unable to fly and take care of herself. Rusty’s maternal instincts kicked in, and she played a key part in nursing Birdie back to health, being as patient and gentle as was needed. Birdie even enjoyed rides on Rusty’s back since she was not able to walk. That’s not a sight you see every day!

The video captured the attention of millions of people online, and they praised this unique relationship. Rusty treats Birdie as though she was her own child, and Birdie loves her as though she was her birth mom. Today, Birdie is much better and lives with the family in a temporary indoor nest. The pair are as happy as can be and get along royally.

Image credit: Rusty The Gentle Giant