Brockville, Ontario, Canada - The next time Misty the Yorkshire Terrier is tempted to chase squirrels, she might think twice.
After all, the bushy-tailed little rodents she meets on the street could be relatives of her own adopted children.
The almost two-year-old terrier is getting her first taste of motherhood with a pair of infant squirrels brought home after their real mother was killed by a car on King Street Monday.
"I was afraid, actually, to bring them home," said the dog's owner Karen Amell.
"Misty is territorial and she chases squirrels. But not these ones.
"She licks them and cleans them all over."
Amell has childhood experience herself caring for orphaned squirrels and said it was "without hesitation" that she took them off the hands of a friend who was unable to give them the attention they needed to survive without their mother.
She said she was visiting her friend after the mother squirrel was hit by the car and felt she had to do something to help.
"The mother was on the road killed and the babies were trying to nestle, so we got them off the road because we didn't want them hit," she said.
She said she called the local Humane Society and was advised against taking the animals home, but to deliver them to the animal shelter instead.
"The Humane Society does its part but I want to do my part," said Amell.
She is confident she could do a proper job.
Apparently, Misty, and Amell's two boys Jacob, 9, and Lucas, 6, are also eager to do their part.
"The squirrels have taken to Misty and vice versa," said Amell.
She said the dog watches over the two squirrels dutifully and is patient when they try to nurse from her even though she can't feed them.
Instead, Amell supplies the animals with baby food for nourishment just like she did as a child when she encountered orphaned squirrels.
Meanwhile, her two boys are eager to pitch in whenever they are needed.
"They're helping and they love it. They're like, 'Mommy, can we feed them now?'"
She believes the squirrels are about three weeks old and will need to be hand-fed for another five weeks or until they stop suckling.
Amell, who lives in a north-end city apartment, said the orphaned squirrels will be moving again soon to her mother's home in the country where they'll have more room.
They'll be accompanied by their adopted mother on the move, she said.
"Misty is going out with them so when my mom's not home at least they'll have someone else with them."
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