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A Labrador retriever with prior experience of being a foster dad has recently taken 15 orphaned ducklings under his paw.
Fred is a 15-year-old resident dog at the Mountfitchet Castle in Essex, England. In early July, the castle posted pictures on Facebook of the canine with the feathered brood, and wrote: “Fred has become a Foster parent for the second ᴛι̇ɱe in 5 years … Well done Fred.”
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The ducklings were orphaned when their mother mysteriously disappeared from the castle one night. However, not wanting to leave them alone, Fred immediately stepped up to care for them.
A short video clip shows the ducklings lying on Fred’s back in the sun, around his paws, and even getting a piggyback ride from him.
“Our little dogfather has been giving the ducklings a little ride round the garden today in the sunshine,” Mountfitchet Castle posted on Facebook.
The ducklings are expected to be with Fred until they’re old enough to survive by themselves.
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For Fred’s owner, Jeremy Goldsmith, this doesn’t come as a surprise.
“Over the 15 years of owning him, Fred has spent a lot of ᴛι̇ɱe at the Castle with the animals and it has become second nature to him being amongst the various rescued animals,” Jeremy told SWNS, Daily Mail reported
.
In 2018, Fred, then aged 10, acted as a surrogate parent to nine orphaned ducklings. He cared for them until they were old enough to blend into the medieval castle grounds with the o ther animals that roam freely within the site.
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The following year, Fred again stepped into his role as a foster dad and cared for 7-day-old ducklings.
According to a Facebook post by the castle, the ducklings’ mother, a Muscovy duck, had 14 babies but left half of them behind in the nest as she wandered off to the nearest pond with the other ducklings.
When Fred was introduced to the abandoned ducklings, he immediately laid down with them to keep them warm. Witnessing this heartwarming gesture, the castle owner and staff breathed a sigh of relief.
“He took to his role like a duck to water,” the Facebook post read. “Within minutes, the ducklings accepted their odd-looking new mum and were climbing all over him.”