A dog who was grieving the loss of her singleton puppy has stepped up to save a litter in need.
Perrie the French bulldog was always destined to be a mother and it was "love at first sight" for her new brood.
The four-year-old pooch was left heartbroken last week after birthing a stillborn puppy, and refused to eat or leave her bed.
Owner Nakita Wilson, 31, from North Ayrshire, Scotland, said: "She was very sad and howling.
"When I brought her home she wouldn't eat and wouldn't come out of her bed. Me and her were both depressed."
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But the very next day, Nakita got a call from her vet, who asked if she would be willing to take a litter of abandoned puppies in.
The pups, also French bulldogs, were born that day - but their cruel owner instructed the vet to put them down due to the length of their tails.
Nakita, who is a breeder and prides herself in breeding health-tested, fit and functional Frenchies, believed it was "fate".
She said: "The vet phoned me and started asking how Perrie was after the loss and then said that they had a Frenchie come in for a C-section and that they left the puppies.
"I was just in disbelief that someone would do that in the first place because they don’t have tails.
"I knew that the best chance for the puppies would be to give them a proper mum, and it would make Perrie happy.
"But I was also worried about the puppies because they weren’t from responsible breeders.
"We had come to terms that Perrie wouldn't have pups, but it was just a total U-turn.
"Mothers who have had their own puppies sometimes don't take to them straight away, but she has. She has really embraced being a mum, I think it was fate."
Perrie has since bonded with the litter like they're her own.
Nakita continued: "She was feeding them straight away. They were crying a lot on the first night but after that, they settled down.
"Perrie has always been obsessed with puppies and used to try and steal them from other mums.
"She is the most maternal dog I’ve ever known and is so happy she got them."
Nakita shared the story on TikTok last week, showing Perrie excitedly awaiting the opening of the box before tending to each new puppy.
She wrote: "There is a reason I surround myself with animals and not humans – humans are vile at times and animals don’t judge."
The clip has racked up 16.7 million views, with thousands of dog lovers taking to the comments section to share their appreciation.
One person said: "Your vet is amazing for this, bless those puppies being abandoned and your baby accepting them. I hope they're all healthy."
Another said: "It takes a special mum to adopt puppies immediately! So sorry for your loss, singletons are hard. She looks so happy to have munchkins to look after."
For Nakita and viewers of the video, concern also lies in the biological mum who is now left without her pups, and likely to be bred again in the near future.
One person said: "I am so sad for the momma of those puppies and hope she's okay. I am truly amazed at the fact that your dog loves them as her own."
Nakita has since shared updates as requested of the four puppies, who she has named Karma, Kismet, Klover and Asher.
She added: "Perrie is absolutely over the moon with them, we are having to take her food and water to her in the pen as she doesn’t want to leave them for a second."
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