Golden Retriever mom raising pack of endangered African painted pups

A mother’s love knows no bounds — or species.

A Golden Retriever named Kassy has been raising a pack of endangered African wild dog pups alongside her own babies inside an Indiana zoo, stepping up when it became clear their biological mother couldn’t.

“Kassy and her puppies arrived at the Zoo the day after the painted dog puppies were born,” the Potawatomi Zoo said in a statement.

“Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog puppies and began to nurse and care for them like they were her own.”

The zoo, located about 150 miles north of Indianapolis, announced last week that eight of the colorfully splotched babies were born to mother Bleu and father Maurice on Sept. 28, an extraordinary event caught on the staff’s remote cameras.

Thanks to human extermination, disease and loss of habitat, there are less than 5,000 of the extremely rare and beautiful mosaic dogs — referred to as African-painted.

The excitement of the rare birth quickly deteriorated, however, when it became clear within just 12 hours that the zoo’s pack of three “would not be able to successfully raise the puppies.”

“Bleu, an inexperienced mother, was not caring for her pups the way she should have, and Maurice was following her lead,” the zoo said.

According to officials, even their third African-painted dog Colby, Bleu’s sister, refused to acknowledge the big-eared pups.

“In the wild, African painted dogs live in large packs with unique social dynamics and vocalizations. The success of a litter depends on the entire pack, as all adult dogs help to feed and raise the pups. The success of the birth and the likelihood of raising live puppies can be jeopardized if the pack doesn’t work together as they should.”

Despite officials’ best efforts to maintain a hands-off approach, it became clear the eight newborns — integral to the growth of the species’ population — would quickly perish without intervention.

The zoo raced to find a surrogate domestic dog to nurse the pups, a recommendation by experts to avoid bottle-feeding and to keep the newborns within a canine social structure.

Within a few hours, the animal care community brought in Kassy, along with her new litter of golden puppies and milk to share, and the blended family was born.

“Over their first four weeks of life, successfully raising the painted dog pups came with difficulties and disappointments … As is common with baby animals, some of the of the painted dog pups weren’t strong enough to survive, despite the dedicated attention Kassy and the Zoo staff gave them, but three did,” the zoo said.

They aren’t named yet, but they are calling the surviving pups Blue, Red and Orange.

The rapidly growing babies are extremely playful, inquisitive and on the path to a healthy life, which on average spans a decade.

The zoo is in the process of creating a new home for the siblings next to their parent’s exhibit. the pups unfortunately won’t be integrated with their biological family for some time because Bleu, Maurice and Colby failed to “display suitable positive interest in the puppies.” But officials said they plan to try again in the future.

“It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo’s mission to work toward the preservation of wild species,” the zoo said.

“Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes it takes extraordinary measures. These three healthy, active pups are just the start of this story, and the Zoo hopes to share more positive updates of their milestones in the future.”