The little mom and her kittens. (Photo CBS Channel 11 News Dallas)
The little black Chihuahua was left outside of the Terrell Animal Shelter over a long holiday weekend. She was tied to a pole with a box right next to her. "When I looked, I saw two little balls of fur with it and though it was a couple of puppies," explains Steve Johns of the Terrell Police Department outside of Dallas, Texas. Wanting to get them out of the 4th of July heat, Johns then took the three to a local animal shelter. When he went to move the mother dog, he was shocked at what he saw. "Much to my surprise, the mama dog was nursing two kittens instead of two puppies," he said.
The unusual family caught the eye of animal rescuer Deborah Franklin of Paw Patrol Rescue who says that the little mom and her babies deserved a good home. Franklin says that mom keeps a close eye on her little ones, responding to their cries, cleaning them up and even nursing them. "She didn't care what species it was. All she knew, she was a mother and these were babies and they needed her," she said.
Franklin plans to name the male cat Stevie, after the officer who rescued them from the blistering Texas heat. She also says that they are doing great and that they will be together until they are weaned.