Golden Retriever Steps In to Nurse Puppies After 12-Strong Litter Born

Thousands of people have watched the moment a golden retriever steps in to help another dog feed her 12 puppies.

The viral TikTok video posted by @scoutslegacygoldens says that her dog Nova, a Pyrenean mastiff, had more puppies than she could handle.

More than 194,000 people watched the video that shows Nova receiving help from Brookyln, the retriever, who can be seen feeding her pups as she had just "weaned her litter" too.

Their owner, Amanda Jean Pratt, admits she thought the idea was initially going to fail. It has since been liked by more than 32,000 people. You can watch the video here.

The video captioned: "The Pyrenean Mastiff breed is an ancient and nonpopular breed of dog for guarding livestock. The bond my Golden has with these giant dogs truly fits our household while my focus is Golden's, my best friend's focus is on this rare breed. The support we have for each other is huge, and our dogs took that on as well."

Pratt pointed out Nova spent "one-on-one time" with her pups before Brooklyn helped provide colostrum, which is "the first production of the mammary glands that plays a pivotal role for puppies and kittens."

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "colostrum is an important source of immunoglobulins and key nutrients such as lipids and carbohydrates, which are fundamental for the health of newborns. Puppies and kittens must ingest a sufficient amount of colostrum within a few hours of birth to ensure their survival."

She also refers to Brooklyn as a "great momma," which is important when finding a suitable surrogate for pups.

Olivia Knight wrote a blog post on the Daily Puppy website, stating: "When the mother dog is not suitable or available for her puppies, another female dog may step in to nurse and care for the litter. To provide milk for the puppies, the surrogate dam must have recently given birth and still be lactating. Take great care when you introduce the surrogate to the puppies—you must ensure that she has mothering instincts and won't harm them. For their safety, closely supervise the mother with the puppies."

Hundreds of TikTokers have commented on the adorable video, one user wrote: "She looks so happy to help and momma is like thank you so much."

One user isn't surprised by the video as she has a similar yet very different experience, she said: "As a labrador breeder I can fully attest this my lab who had just finished weaning her puppies nurse 17 kittens yes I said 17 kittens happily."

Previously, Newsweek shared a story about a dog breastfeeding a kitten.

Newsweek reached out to scoutslegacygoldens@ for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.