After The Mother Of An Orphaned 9-Day-Old Foal Dies, The Dog Comforts And Takes Care Of Him

Dogs are such loving and compassionate creatures. They have strong protective instincts and will frequently take an animal under their wing if they believe it requires assistance.

That was the case for one rescue dog who took on the role of guardian and best friend to an orphaned foal.

S & K Quarter Horses in Fayette, Alabama, is owned by Karla Swindle. One of her horses, a 22-year-old mare named Sandy, had to be euthanized a few years ago due to declining health.

Sandy’s foal, Tye, who was orphaned at only 9 days old, was especially heartbroken by Sandy’s death.

But Karla’s dog, Zip, quickly stepped in to comfort the orphaned baby horse.

“Zip stayed with me in the barn alley all night — the foal was laying in the alley, and he just laid there beside the foal,” Karla explained to The Dodo.

Tye’s heartbreak was detected by the dog, who stayed with the foal all night, comforting him with a sympathetic paw, according to Karla.

“[Zip] was laying there by his neck, and the dog was whining, like crying,” she explained to the Lewiston Tribune, according to IHeartDogs. “It simply broke my heart.”

While Tye lost his mother that night, he gained a best friend in the form of Zip, who quickly assumed the role of the foal’s friend and guardian.

“I think he’s adopted it as his child,” Karla speculated. “He’s telling him that he’s not alone.”

Dogs are emotionally intelligent animals that appear to be able to sense when someone has died, and it appeared that Zip understood the situation and specifically reached out to this lost foal.

“Every year, we raise foals, and he would kind of look in the door and just stare at them,” Karla told The Dodo. “You could tell Zip was concerned that night.”

“This is the first time he has ever just licked on one, nudged one, laid on one,” she told the Tribune.

Zip had been looking after Tye every day for weeks and was excited to see him every morning.

“Every time I went to the barn, Zip would run to the stall and stand in front of the stall waiting for me,” Karla told The Dodo. “He’d always beat me to the barn.”

“As soon as I opened the door, he’d nearly knock me down before I could get in there. He’d go over there and lay his head on the foal if he was lying down.”

Tye has since grown into a happy, healthy horse, no doubt thanks to Zip’s early care and friendship.

Tye now spends the majority of his time with his fellow horses, and he’s had to “leave the nest,” so to speak, becoming more self-sufficient from his doggy dad.

“You could tell Zip was there for the foal when he needed him,” Karla said. “And now that Zip knows the foal is fine, they’ve kind of split up.”

While they are no longer dependent on each other, we know they will always be friends and hold a special place in each other’s hearts.

What a lovely story. We enjoy hearing about unlikely animal friendships. It’s heartwarming to see dogs take heartbroken animals under their wing and provide them with the love and friendship they require.

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